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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25487710">Okay, Boomer</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/deinvati/pseuds/deinvati'>deinvati</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Inception (2010)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(it's Mal), (it's offscreen), Big Bang Challenge, Canonical Character Death, Dogs, Everyone owns a dog, M/M, Meet-Cute, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:42:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>20,895</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25487710</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/deinvati/pseuds/deinvati</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Or the I told everyone at work I own a dog and now they want to meet him so can I borrow your dog? AU</p>
<p>Arthur makes up that he owns a dog during office small talk. But when he gets a meeting invite to the dog park for an “off-campus meet and greet” with the big boss, Arthur has to get creative. Enter Eames, the downstairs neighbor he’s already lodged a complaint against, and his 3-legged senior dog named Boomer.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Arthur/Eames (Inception)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>110</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Inception Big Bang 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A million and more thanks to the inimitable <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/flosculatory/pseuds/flosculatory">Flosculatory</a>, who is brilliant, beautiful, and benevolent.</p>
<p>Artwork by <a href="https://umbrielchip000.tumblr.com/post/625153726433329152/for-inceptionbigbang-2020-i-was-honored-to-draw">@umbrielchip000</a> to be posted later!  You guys are going to flip your shit, I promise you that.</p>
<p>Update: ART POSTED!!  (The delay was mine, not theirs. They are the BEST and the dream artist to get in a Big Bang!)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was the six month anniversary, he realized as he straightened his cufflinks and opened the doors. If there was ever a reason to imbibe, that was a good one. The hotel ballroom Corporate had rented for the Christmas party was a little over the top, Arthur thought as he walked into the golden sparkle and soft jazz. Still, he thought as he located someone holding a tray, the drinks were free.</p>
<p>He was the newest employee here and he was fairly sure no one knew his name, which was fine with him. He didn't need any of these people. In fact, he probably wouldn't learn anyone else's name; this was a paycheck and nothing more.</p>
<p>"No, it's <em>Arthur</em>," he found himself saying, loudly, several hours later. "ARTHUR. LIKE THE KING. WITH THE ROUND TABLE."</p>
<p>Either the music had gotten much louder or he had. But the elderly man across from him nodded and smiled, confused. "That's what I said. Arthur."</p>
<p>Arthur shook his head. "No, ARTHUR."</p>
<p>"Arthur."</p>
<p>"No. AR. THUR."</p>
<p>The man laughed. "I'm saying what you're saying, young man."</p>
<p>Arthur frowned, his face feeling warm and his head feeling very pleasantly swimmy. <em>Had </em>he said it right? No. No, Arthur was sure of it. "No, you aren't adding the Rs. There's two of them."</p>
<p>For some reason, the man laughed again. "And what do you do for our company, Arthur?"</p>
<p>Arthur shook his head and frowned again, but he let it slide. "Entry-level accountant," he said. "But!" He pointed with his glass for emphasis. "Not for long."</p>
<p>"That's the spirit," the old man said. "Onwards and upwards, yes?"</p>
<p>"Yep," Arthur confirmed and tossed back the rest of his drink. He looked around for the waiter guy. One more for the road.</p>
<p>"So, Arthur," the man said again, and Arthur's eyebrows drew together. Had he said it right that time? Why weren't his ears working right?</p>
<p>"How long have you been part of our little work family?"</p>
<p>"Almost six...whole months," Arthur said, remembering at the last minute he probably shouldn't swear. He grabbed a mostly full glass off a passing tray.</p>
<p>"Very good. And do you have a home family as well?"</p>
<p>Arthur blinked. "A...what?"</p>
<p>"A wife?" the gray-haired man clarified. "Are you married? Do you perhaps have children?"</p>
<p>"Oh. No, no, none of that." Arthur looked around, wondering if there was anyone else he recognized that he could drag into this conversation with him. Maybe keep this guy from studying him like he was a bug under a microscope.</p>
<p>"I see," the man said genially. His suit looked very expensive. "Any plans for a wife or children?"</p>
<p>Arthur shook his head slowly, swirling the drink in his mouth. "Nope, no plans."</p>
<p>"Well." The old man in the nice suit seemed to have run out of things to ask Arthur. It occurred to him that he should probably have turned those questions around so he wouldn't be the only one talking, but as he opened his mouth for a well-timed 'what about you,' the man looked at him with pity.</p>
<p>"What about a roommate? Or pets? Surely you can't just be alone all the time."</p>
<p>"Oh, right, no, I'm not…alone <em>all </em>the time." At least, he didn't used to be.</p>
<p>"Oh?"</p>
<p>His question hung in the air and Arthur took another sip. Fuck. He <em>was</em> alone all the time. Holy shit, that was the saddest sounding thought he'd ever had.</p>
<p>"No, I have a," he swallowed, "a pet. Of course I have a pet."</p>
<p>The man squinted at him like he was lying. "What kind?"</p>
<p>"Um, a." Shit, what kind of pets did people have? "A dog!" Arthur said triumphantly. "I have a dog." Lots of people had dogs.</p>
<p>"Brilliant," the man said, a broad smile gracing his features and making him look ten years younger. "Love dogs."</p>
<p>He opened his mouth to ask additional questions and Arthur grimaced. Should have picked a different pet.</p>
<p>"Mr. Miles!"</p>
<p>Erin? No, Anne. No, it was longer than that...Arianne, yes, Arianne from Corporate was calling, waving him down from across the room, eyes a bit too bright, face flushed, listing slightly as she approached them. Oh man, Arthur thought, she is smashed.</p>
<p>He leaned over to his new dog friend in the nice suit to share a knowing grin, but he accidentally leaned too far and had to prop himself up on the man's arm.</p>
<p>"Oops, sorry," he said, and oh fuck, <em>he </em>was smashed.</p>
<p>"Mr. Miles," she gushed as she reached them, holding onto the man's other arm. "This is such a nice party! Mr. Saito was just saying what a great job you did."</p>
<p>Okay, now she was name-dropping the billionaire company president. Arthur needed to get out of here before he called Erin Anne on her shit.</p>
<p>"Hello, Ariadne," Mr. Miles said genially. "And thank you. Arthur here was just telling me about his dog."</p>
<p>"Oh, <em>right</em>! Ariadne!" Arthur said to himself.</p>
<p>She gave him a funny look but asked, "What kind of dog do you have?"</p>
<p>"It's uh. He's a lab. Mix."</p>
<p>There were dual 'awww's and Arthur finished his drink.</p>
<p>"Yeah, he's pretty great. Well, I should probably," he said, nodding to them both and sliding away, leaving Ariadne to try and hold her own in a conversation she clearly was too drunk to get out of. Serves her right for having a weird name.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Arthur's head was a fucking nightmare the next day and he hated it. Fucking champagne, why did he do this to himself?</p>
<p>With eyes opened so slightly it barely counted as seeing, Arthur dragged himself through the shower and coffee routine of a thousand mornings and checked his phone as he ate toast over the sink.</p>
<p>He had 13 unread work emails, one of which was from Reynolds, Ariadne. Odd. Wasn't she from Corporate? The subject line was, 'Next Week', and he opened it skeptically.</p>
<p>Arthur,</p>
<p>Lovely to connect with you last night! Mr. Miles asked that I reach out to let you know that he is starting a "Three Down Initiative", in which he meets with employees three levels of management below him in a casual round-table to discuss current company-specific topics.</p>
<p>You and I have been identified as the employees chosen for this first round to see how it goes, and Mr. Miles suggested rather than meeting on a golf course, we could meet at the dog park by Holmes Lake this Tuesday at 2:00. A meeting request will follow.</p>
<p>Let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to meeting with you again!</p>
<p>Thank you,</p>
<p>Ariadne Reynolds</p>
<p>Arthur blinked and read it twice, including the Miles, Stephen, in the cc line. Then he googled Stephen Miles, and sure enough, the man from last night was the fucking Chief Operations Officer for the multi-billion dollar company, and he'd drunkenly talked to him while standing next to the tiny crab cakes. And it was coming back to him with the force of a sledgehammer: he'd made up that he had a fucking dog. Because otherwise, he would have seemed like a really sad, lonely jackass. <em>Fuck.</em></p>
<p>Arthur's brain didn't really want to think about org charts this early on a Saturday, but he figured that from COO to him was more like a Six Down Initiative. With everything in his dehydrated body, he cursed Stupid Ariadne From Corporate for being too drunk to get out of this.</p>
<p>Piece of toast hanging out of his mouth, Arthur replied to all.</p>
<p>Ariadne,</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your correspondence. Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend as I have a previously scheduled meeting at that time. This is a very valuable initiative though, and I am proud to be part of a company that values their employees' opinions.</p>
<p>Give my regards to Mr. Miles, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out.</p>
<p>Thank you,<br/>Arthur Condon</p>
<p>That's how it's done, <em>Ariadne</em>, he thought. Then he went back to bed.</p>
<p>Arthur woke up three hours later to that fucking dog from downstairs howling again, and he slowly counted to ten before he called the landlord again. Honestly, who just let their dog howl like that when you lived in an apartment building? It stopped fairly quickly, so Arthur took his finger off the "Nuke Everyone and Destroy Everything" button. With a languid stretch, he decided Thai takeout would be his reward for getting up and completing his Saturday to-do list.</p>
<p>It was over a bowl of drunken noodles that evening when Arthur checked his work email again.</p>
<p>Arthur,</p>
<p>Thank you for letting me know about your meeting! I'm sending you a meeting request for Monday afternoon instead, your calendar is clear at 2 pm. See you there!</p>
<p>S. Miles</p>
<p>Oh, <em>fuck.</em></p>
<hr/>
<p>Sunday morning found Arthur standing outside the door of apartment 1304, rehearsing how you ask a stranger if you can borrow their dog. How had his life come to this? After finally admitting there was really no great way, he raised his hand to knock, but before he could, the door swung open.</p>
<p>Arthur jumped and tried to look like he wasn't raising his hand in the air, but if the look on the other man's face was any indication, he hadn't succeeded.</p>
<p>"Uh, hello," Arthur tried.</p>
<p>He received a raised eyebrow in response. "Hello."</p>
<p>"Um. I'm Arthur. I'm in apartment 2304?"</p>
<p>The man crossed his arms. "Yes, I know who you are."</p>
<p>Oh. Accent. Huh. And he was actually really good-looking up close. "Oh. Right. Okay, well," Arthur cleared his throat and gave him a sheepish smile. "I'm actually here about your dog."</p>
<p>"Shocking."</p>
<p>Arthur blinked. "...sorry, what?"</p>
<p>"You're the one who called Freddy, aren't you."</p>
<p>It wasn't a question.</p>
<p>"The landlord?" Arthur asked, honestly confused. "His name is Freddy?"</p>
<p>The man hummed, a barely controlled annoyance vibrating below his skin. "You know this is advertised as a pet-friendly flat, yes?"</p>
<p>"Wh—"</p>
<p>"It was that way when you moved in. My dog and I have been here for a while, mate…"</p>
<p>"I know that—"</p>
<p>"...and we are planning on being here after you've moved on."</p>
<p>"I'm not—"</p>
<p>"And this may be news to someone like you…"</p>
<p>"Okay," Arthur said, frowning, "what is <em>that</em> supposed to—"</p>
<p>"...but dogs occasionally use verbal communication that consists of something called 'barking', which is not, in fact, a crime."</p>
<p>"That's not why I'm—I need to borrow your dog!" Arthur blurted out, scowling. What the fuck, what an asshole.</p>
<p>The asshole stared at him, his generous mouth drawn in a flat line, and didn't uncross his arms until a black nose pushed past his knee to investigate the stranger in the hallway.</p>
<p>He sighed and dropped his arms while Arthur blinked at the dog's graying muzzle and bright black eyes.</p>
<p>"Oh," Arthur said, surprised. "Is this your dog?" He wasn't sure why he'd expected a puppy, but this dog was practically a senior citizen.</p>
<p>The man looked at Arthur flatly. "Arthur, this is Boomer. Boomer, this is our neighbor Arthur. He's not for eating."</p>
<p>"Hello," Arthur said awkwardly. Did he really try to eat people?</p>
<p>The man studied him for a moment before saying, "I was just about to take him out. Can you walk and talk?"</p>
<p>"Uh," Arthur said, looking down at his second-favorite pair of wingtips. "Alright."</p>
<p>"And I'm Eames, by the way."</p>
<p>"Oh, okay," Arthur said, mentally replacing the name he'd looked up before coming down. "Eames. I'm Arthur."</p>
<p>A flare of amusement in Eames' gray eyes and he stepped aside to let Boomer into the hallway. "Yes, so you said."</p>
<p>"Right, sorry," Arthur said distractedly, watching as Boomer hopped forward. He was missing a back leg. Arthur's surprise shifted to concern, and he waited to see if the older dog showed any kind of discomfort, but both he and Eames didn't seem to notice. Eames reached to pull the doorknob closed behind him.</p>
<p>"Isn't there a leash law?" Arthur asked.</p>
<p>Eames paused, then with a tight smile, leaned inside and grabbed a loop of rope which had apparently been hanging by the door. Boomer waited patiently while Eames slipped it over his head and then padded alongside him as they headed down the hall, his back leg easily compensating for his missing one. Arthur followed awkwardly, wondering how far they were going.</p>
<p>They headed out the back door of the complex, revealing grass and playground equipment Arthur had forgotten were back there, all gleaming in the early morning light. Eames immediately removed the makeshift leash from around Boomer's neck and moved to stand in the shade of the building. Boomer ambled over to a patch of sunlight to begin leisurely sniffing a clump of grass.</p>
<p>"So," Eames said, lighting a cigarette. "You want to borrow my dog."</p>
<p>"Er, yes," Arthur said.</p>
<p>"Why?"</p>
<p>It was a fair enough question, and Arthur really should have come up with a lie, since he was fairly sure this man, with his lovely mouth tucked around a cigarette, and his interesting eyes squinted at him, was going to think he was insane when he told him the truth.</p>
<p>"I…" Arthur held his hands up in defeat and sighed. "I was trying to make small talk, and I told my boss's boss I had a dog, and now he's invited me to a dog park tomorrow afternoon."</p>
<p>Those lips twitched and then broke out into a grin. "Ah, the old work small talk. Good thing you didn't make up a wife," he laughed. "I couldn't have helped you there."</p>
<p>Arthur gave an awkward chuckle. "Does that mean you will? Help me?"</p>
<p>Eames looked at him, head tilted, and considered. "Have you ever owned a dog before, Arthur?"</p>
<p>Something about the way he said it made Arthur feel very defensive. "Well, I can't imagine it's that hard. It's not like you have to get a permit or anything; they let any idiot own a dog."</p>
<p>As soon as the words were out of his mouth he wanted to snatch them from the air and stuff them back in. Eames' face fell and he raised a dubious eyebrow.</p>
<p>Boomer chose that moment to walk over and sniff delicately at the hem of Arthur's pants.</p>
<p>"Hey, there—oh," Arthur said as Boomer, balanced delicately on his three legs, squatted and started to poop. Arthur glanced at Eames, who smirked and smoked, and Boomer who maintained awkward eye contact throughout.</p>
<p>When he was finished, an impressive and smelly pile sat there obtrusively, and Boomer did a jaunty dance, attempting to kick dirt over it. Unfortunately, the dirt wasn't well-aimed and Arthur looked in muted horror at the spatter on his suit pants.</p>
<p>With a chuckle, Eames stubbed out his cigarette in the overflowing can on the ground and regarded Arthur. "I'll tell you what, Arthur, darling. I'll make you a deal."</p>
<p>Arthur was doing an excellent job of remaining calm. "Mm hmm."</p>
<p>"If you can clean up Boomer's mess there, I'll let you borrow him for tomorrow."</p>
<p>"Um…"</p>
<p>"After all," Eames said, "it's not like you need a permit. Any idiot can do it."</p>
<p>Was he grinning evilly? Arthur could have sworn there were horns peeking out of his scruffy hair. Arthur scowled at him, spite making him say, "Fine. And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"</p>
<p>Eames shrugged. "I've always done it with my hands."</p>
<p>Arthur looked at the steaming pile and back at Eames. This felt like a schoolyard dare and Arthur didn't really <em>need</em> this dog, he would simply...explain that his dog had suddenly come down with something. Or he could just quit his job and move out. He'd started over before, he could do it again.</p>
<p>That thought made his shoulders sag and he took a steadying breath. Okay, schoolyard bully, he could do this. Hands were washable. He would just...pick up poop. With his hands. That's a thing people did, apparently. He could do it too. It wouldn't kill him. He hunkered down to sit on his heels. Gross, yes, but better than starting his life over again.</p>
<p>"Jesus, you really want to borrow this dog," Eames said from beside him as he contemplated the poop. "Here."</p>
<p>Arthur turned to see Eames holding out a plastic sack.</p>
<p>"Put it over your hand, pick it up, turn it inside out," he mimed before muttering, "you crazy bastard."</p>
<p>Arthur felt himself flush but followed the instructions and grimaced at the warmth. Then, fighting down a scowl, he presented the bag to Eames.</p>
<p>Who did not take it from him.</p>
<p>"Congratulations," Eames said dryly, hands firmly in his pockets. "You've borrowed yourself a dog. What are you going to do with him?"</p>
<p>Boomer was back to sniffing weeds and Arthur's annoyance was drowned out by relief. "We're supposed to go to the dog park on Holmes."</p>
<p>Eames nodded. "That should be fine. Just. You know."</p>
<p>He didn't appear inclined to continue and Arthur felt a rush of panic.</p>
<p>"No, I don't know. Just what, Mr. Eames?"</p>
<p>"Well, there's going to be other dogs there," Eames said as if that explained it.</p>
<p>"So?"</p>
<p>"Well. I'm just saying, you'll probably want to look after him a bit."</p>
<p>"Why?" Arthur demanded. Had he borrowed some kind of maniac dog? "Does he get in fights or something? Am I going to have to stop him from biting someone?"</p>
<p>Eames scoffed. "No, 'course not, darling. Boomer's a lover, not a fighter. He gets that from me." He grinned, and Arthur felt an answering frown cross his face. He couldn't help it.</p>
<p>"It's only that sometimes," Eames continued, "other dogs make fun of him, and he's a bit sensitive. Hurts his feelings, that."</p>
<p>Arthur stared at him. "Other dogs make fun of him."</p>
<p>Eames nodded solemnly. "You know. Because of the L-E-G," he whispered.</p>
<p>Arthur frowned, fairly sure <em>he </em>was being made fun of. "Uh huh." He looked at Boomer, currently nosing around the playground equipment. "What did happen to his—"</p>
<p>"Ah ah ah," Eames stopped him and then mimed zipping his lips with a head jerk towards the dog.</p>
<p>Arthur rolled his eyes. "Anything else I should know?"</p>
<p>Eames considered. "Well, his favorite color is orange, and I'll tell you now, my man cannot stand cauliflower. Just loathes even the sight of it."</p>
<p>Arthur sighed. "Great, well this has been very informative. Here is your bag of shit," he said, passing the bag to Eames without giving him an option of not taking it, "and I'll pick him up tomorrow at 1 pm."</p>
<p>He walked away before Eames could reply, but couldn't avoid the "Can't wait, darling!" from behind him. What an asshole.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Arthur's sharp rap on Eames' door the next afternoon was met with a single, low "Woof!" and Arthur found himself strangely okay with it simply because he knew who was barking.</p>
<p>The door opened to reveal Eames, looking scruffily handsome, and after a moment, Boomer. Boomer appeared to have dressed up for the occasion in a black collar, with tags that jingled as he hopped.</p>
<p>"Hello again," Arthur said stiffly, and to his surprise, Boomer sniffed the hem of his pants again and gave him a wide dog-smile.</p>
<p>Arthur found himself smiling back.</p>
<p>"Here you are, Arthur," Eames said, handing him an actual leash and a roll of the plastic bags like the one from yesterday.</p>
<p>"Um, thanks," Arthur said.</p>
<p>Eames nodded and leaned on the door jamb.</p>
<p>"I'll bring him back right after," Arthur said, hoping Eames wouldn't make some joke about picking up his dog for prom or something else equally as stupid.</p>
<p>He didn't, just nodded again, hand in his pocket, and watched as Boomer ventured further into the hallway, sniffing Arthur's shoes.</p>
<p>"Thanks for this, I don't know if I actually said," Arthur tried again. "You're kind of saving my ass here, so. I appreciate it."</p>
<p>"Don't mention it, darling," Eames said.</p>
<p>"Right." Arthur took the leash and carefully bent down to affix it to the collar. Boomer, for his part, accepted it with good grace, meaning he didn't seem to care one way or another. "Did you, uh, want to say goodbye or something?" Eames seemed like a guy who would say goodbye to his dog, right?</p>
<p>"See you later, mate," Eames said casually. "Don't let the bastards get you down."</p>
<p>Arthur frowned at the casual tone but figured it was none of his business. With a nod, he led Boomer out the front exit and toward his car.</p>
<p>He'd already taken the precaution of spreading towels over every inch of leather interior the dog's paws might touch, and Boomer jumped easily into the low passenger seat. Unfortunately, the towels made it hard for him to get a purchase with his one back leg, and he slid onto the floor before scrambling back up.</p>
<p>Arthur grimaced. "Oh, yeah, okay sorry, I didn't think of that. Um. You good?"</p>
<p>Boomer looked at him balefully and Arthur, feeling like an idiot, closed the door.</p>
<p>"God, I'm an idiot," he muttered and moved to the driver's seat.</p>
<p>It took a few turns to figure out how to drive with a three-legged dog sitting on towel-covered leather, but they got there.</p>
<p>Arthur parked and stepped out of the car, taking a second to get the lay of the land. Unfortunately, Boomer did not need to take such a second. He apparently knew exactly where he was because he exited out of Arthur's side of the car, right over his un-toweled seat, and left Arthur to scramble after him to catch the leash, and lock the car, and make sure he had the roll of poop bags in his pocket.</p>
<p>"Boomer," he hissed, "slow down you mangy—"</p>
<p>"Arthur?"</p>
<p>Arthur turned to see Ariadne from Corporate approaching, carrying a small ball of fur on a pink leash.</p>
<p>Boomer made an embarrassing choked noise as he reached the end of the leash.</p>
<p>"Oh, jeeze, sorry. Sorry. Um, hello. Ariadne, hi."</p>
<p>She smiled at both of them. "You can call me Ari. And this is Cat." She kissed the top of its furry head and it gave a small yip.</p>
<p>Arthur raised an eyebrow. "You named your dog 'Cat'?"</p>
<p>She grinned. "Actually it's my boyfriend's dog, but yeah. Yusuf is quirky like that. And who is this?"</p>
<p>She bent to extend her hand, and Boomer sniffed it graciously.</p>
<p>"His name's Boomer."</p>
<p>Ari chuckled for some reason and put Cat down so they could do the ritual butt-sniffing. "Well, they seem to get along okay."</p>
<p>"Yeah, looks like it." If she said so. Arthur relaxed his death grip on the leash.</p>
<p>"Good afternoon," came a voice from behind them. Mr. Miles stepped toward them in khakis and a golf polo leading a dog with red fur looking like it had stepped out of a canine fashion magazine.</p>
<p>"Hello, Mr. Miles," Ari said amicably, and she seemed far more relaxed than Arthur felt.</p>
<p>"We ready to do this?" Miles asked, already walking toward the gate that surrounded the park.</p>
<p>"Yes," Arthur said, mostly to himself, and tugged Boomer from where he'd sat down to follow them.</p>
<p>Dog parks seemed to be constructed of Grass Someone Had Cut, along with various areas of Trees and also Grass That Hadn't Been Cut. Arthur frowned.</p>
<p>"Ah," Miles sighed contentedly. "There's something so freeing about this place. Something about being in a place you can just let your dog run. Makes you feel like you're free yourself."</p>
<p>He unclipped the lead on his dog's collar, who took off dutifully toward the far corner of the park, disappearing over a rise.</p>
<p>"Um." Arthur looked at Boomer, who didn't know him and whom Arthur had no idea how to get back if he decided to run.</p>
<p>Ari took the leash off her tiny fluff ball of a dog, who ran, yapping, in circles before exploring at a maximum of three feet from his owner. Her owner? How did you tell when they were that fuzzy?</p>
<p>Miles and Ari looked at him expectantly and Arthur started to sweat beneath his suit. "Oh, uh, I have to keep him on a leash. Otherwise, I don't know if I'll see him again." Arthur forced a laugh.</p>
<p>Miles, however, nodded understandingly. "Yeah, sighthounds are like that. You said he was a lab mix, but I think he's got more hound in him than anything."</p>
<p>They all stared at Boomer, who had chosen that moment to lie down in a sunny patch of dirt and pant happily.</p>
<p>Arthur nodded. "Mm hmm." He gave a careful tug on the leash. "Come on, Boomer. Let's go."</p>
<p>Boomer groaned and stretched out, laying his head on his paws and squeezing his eyes shut.</p>
<p>Miles gave Arthur an uncertain smile. "Do you bring him here a lot?"</p>
<p>Arthur had no idea. "Yeah, yep, all the time."</p>
<p>"He does seem very comfortable," Ari said kindly.</p>
<p>"Well…" Miles said, "I'd been hoping to walk and talk. Do you want to…?" He motioned toward the hill where his dog had disappeared, and Arthur, who had chosen his outfit carefully for a business meeting with the COO and looked up the most recent quarterly report so they could talk about earnings, scoffed and waved a hand.</p>
<p>"Oh, that's okay, you guys go ahead. We'll just catch you when you swing back around."</p>
<p>Miles nodded and Ari gave him a commiserating grimace behind his back before they headed off. Arthur could hear them discussing the current culture among new-hire employees and he groaned his frustration to the sky.</p>
<p>"God damn it, Boomer," he said. "You are the worst, you know that?"</p>
<p>Boomer either didn't know or didn't care that he was the worst. He seemed completely content to snooze in the sun, and Arthur sighed.</p>
<p>"I suppose I should thank you for not making me get mud all over my Jimmy Choos. Why is it so wet here? It hasn't rained for fucking weeks."</p>
<p>Boomer had no comment.</p>
<p>It was starting to get warm and Arthur tried to maneuver himself to where there was a bit more shade. The leash was about three feet too short to reach it though, and Boomer was acting like he couldn't tell Arthur existed, let alone what he wanted.</p>
<p>"Come on, man, work with me here."</p>
<p>Arthur contemplated dropping the leash and standing under the nearby tree, but he knew that would be the scene in any bad movie where the dog would take off running, and he'd have to explain to Eames how he lost his dog.</p>
<p>If it was a rom-com, they'd go look for him together and end up making out at sunset next to a picturesque lake. On the other hand, if it was an action movie, Eames would inevitably kill him, screaming, "Are you hot now?!" and the audience would cheer.</p>
<p>Arthur wrapped his hand securely around the leash.</p>
<p>"Well," he said, tugging on his collar, "this is boring. How long is this nap going to last, would you estimate?"</p>
<p>This, Arthur decided, was exactly what cell phones were created for. He checked and replied to his work emails, read the quarterly reports of two competitors, and played three levels of Bubble Spinner before Boomer picked up his head.</p>
<p>"Hey, buddy. You finally get tired of sleeping?"</p>
<p>Boomer didn't even flick an ear in his direction. He was staring at a nearby clump of bushes, every muscle taut.</p>
<p>"What?" Arthur asked, looking closer. "What do you see?" A dog park wouldn't have snakes or something, would it?</p>
<p>They both stared for a while, Boomer rising to his feet and focusing every ounce of his small body on the nearby brush.</p>
<p>"I don't see anything, Boomer," Arthur said. "And besides, it's probably not anything—DAAAAAGH!"</p>
<p>A brown squirrel shot out of the underbrush and took off running for its life, Boomer in hot pursuit. Like a greyhound out of the gate, Boomer shot forward, practically yanking Arthur's shoulder from its socket.</p>
<p>"Holy shhhhh...<em>Boomer!"</em> Arthur cried, trying to keep his feet under him. "Boomer, slow down!"</p>
<p>Arthur pulled on the leash, but Boomer was straining forward like he was a sled dog, hauling Arthur along for the ride, his long ears flying in the wind.</p>
<p>Having only three legs didn't slow Boomer down one bit, and it was only when he'd chased the squirrel halfway across the park and into the safety of a tree's tallest branches, that he stopped running. He circled the tree's base, barking as if he'd located a bomb, and Arthur tried to catch his breath.</p>
<p>"Jesus Christ," Arthur panted. "It was a fucking <em>squirrel</em>, you lunatic!"</p>
<p>Boomer barked at his escaping prey, and when it finally climbed too high to see, Boomer sat on his haunches let loose a very, <em>very</em> familiar howl.</p>
<p>"Oh, for fuck's sake," Arthur griped. "Stop it."</p>
<p>Boomer did not stop it. He howled his fool head off.</p>
<p>"Stop!"</p>
<p>But there was no stopping. It was clearly the end of days for Boomer. Everything good in the world was now gone.</p>
<p>"Okay, okay, shhh shh shh," Arthur pled. "Come on, you want a treat? I'll give you a treat."</p>
<p>Boomer did not want a treat. He wanted to howl.</p>
<p>"Fuck," Arthur muttered to himself. "I don't even <em>have</em> any treats. I can't believe I'm saying this, but what would Eames do?"</p>
<p>Arthur squatted down where Boomer was baying. "Oi, mate," he said in a terrible accent, "keep it down, love, there's a good lad. Uh. Top notch. Spiffing."</p>
<p>Boomer couldn't hear him over his own heartbreak.</p>
<p>"Son of a god damned bitch." Arthur blew a frustrated breath out his nose. "Just...stop, okay? Someone is going to hear you. Look, I'll take you home, okay? Would you like that?" He looked around, positive some concerned dog owner would be coming over the hill at any second to see him bargaining with an animal.</p>
<p>Boomer paused howling, but only so he could resume barking. Arthur's anxiety tripled.</p>
<p>"Okay, that's the end of this adventure," he said, gathering up the leash. "Let's go, let's get in the car. Come on."</p>
<p>Arthur picked Boomer up awkwardly, carrying the struggling animal toward the parking lot as gently as he could, and trying not to count how many times Boomer's back paw fought for purchase on his suit jacket. Boomer whined and tried to escape, but the last thing Arthur needed was for Miles or Ariadne to see this.</p>
<p>By the time he'd wrestled Boomer to the gate of the park he had calmed down, which was good because he was getting heavy. Arthur set him carefully on the ground as he fished out his keys and glared at Boomer as he got in. He looked almost sheepish, but Arthur was too annoyed to care.</p>
<p>He braved a look at his shoes before getting in on his side.</p>
<p>"Fuck." They were all scuffed to shit and had dirt in the details. He glared at Boomer some more.</p>
<p>He sent a quick email to Miles and Ari explaining an emergency had come up and he'd had to leave, and then he drove home, explaining to Boomer the whole way why he absolutely <em>was </em>the worst, even if some people had failed to notify him of that in the past.</p>
<p>Boomer was resting on his front seat with a doggy smile, so apparently being ranted at wasn't enough to ruin his good mood, and, oddly enough, Arthur actually felt better afterwards.</p>
<p>"Maybe you're not completely the worst," Arthur allowed after pulling into his parking spot. Boomer gave the back of his hand a friendly lick.</p>
<p>Arthur gave him a small smile and grabbed the leash.</p>
<p>This time he was prepared when Boomer followed him out his door, and he wasn't surprised to see a wag in Boomer's tail as they neared the building. He clearly knew he was home.</p>
<p>"Yeah, we're almost there," Arthur agreed. "You're almost rid of me."</p>
<p>Boomer sat patiently as Arthur knocked on Eames' door, and even nosed Arthur's hand goodbye.</p>
<p>"It was good to meet you too," he said as they waited for Eames to answer the door. "Try to work on that howling thing, alright?"</p>
<p>There was no answering movement on the other side of the door and Arthur frowned and knocked harder. After a few moments, he put his ear to the door.</p>
<p>"Huh," he said for Boomer's benefit. "Maybe he had to run to the store or something. Oh well, I guess…" Arthur froze, realizing. "I guess I probably can't leave you in the hallway, can I?"</p>
<p>After a few choice swear words, he scowled and led Boomer to the stairs.</p>
<p>He saw his apartment through fresh eyes when he got the door open. Eyes that were two feet off the ground, to be precise, and all of a sudden everything he owned looked like a chew toy.</p>
<p>"Okay," he said to Boomer. "Don't destroy anything and I won't have to destroy you. Got it?"</p>
<p>He unclipped the leash from his collar, and Boomer moved slowly around his living room, sniffing half-heartedly, as if the only reason he was doing it was because Arthur expected him to.</p>
<p>Arthur watched him carefully, arms crossed, but when he started in on a second, even slower circuit, Arthur took off his jacket. He sighed over the muddy paw prints and put it with his other dry cleaning before grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.</p>
<p>Boomer's tongue was hanging out as he watched him drink.</p>
<p>"What? Are you thirsty too?"</p>
<p>Boomer managed to sound like his saliva was made of paste as he swallowed.</p>
<p>"Fine, but you're getting tap water," Arthur warned. He found a small mixing bowl and filled it from the sink before setting it on the kitchen floor. "There you go. Finest city water money can buy."</p>
<p>Boomer sniffed the bowl delicately and Arthur regarded him over the lip of his bottle. Then, like a dying man in the desert, Boomer shoved his entire face in the bowl and began to lap up water with a fury.</p>
<p>"Hey, woah, slow down," Arthur said, stepping clear of the spray. "You're getting it everywhere, fuck! Boomer! Boom—fuck, man! Is this the first time you've had fucking water in your life? What is <em>wrong</em> with you?"</p>
<p>Boomer ignored him and continued to gulp water like it was going out of style. Then he placed a paw on the edge of the bowl and tipped it, lapping a few more times out of the resulting puddle on Arthur's floor.</p>
<p>When he was finally sated, he dripped water all the way back to the living room, Arthur following behind him with a wad of paper towels and muttering the whole way.</p>
<p>"Is this how all dogs are? God, you're one mess after another. Did you even <em>see</em> my suit? That <em>was</em> a nice fucking suit. Now it's been Boomer-ized."</p>
<p>Boomer hefted himself onto the couch and fwomped down, making himself comfortable.</p>
<p>Arthur, who knew for a fact that his couch was not comfortable, had possibly paid more for that particular feature, was edging past annoyed into actually angry. At a dog.</p>
<p>He gritted his teeth and went to find his lint roller. "Why do people even get dogs?" he bitched as he tried to get dog hair off his suit pants. "Like, what is the appeal? I touched your fur, you know. You're not even <em>soft</em>. Your main function is to take naps and make messes. And let's not forget that after cleaning up after you, someone still gets to pick up your literal shit." Arthur moved on to lint rolling the couch around and possibly under the dog. "Also, just so you know, I looked it up; they have these scoop things you can buy online. Eames is just a plebeian."</p>
<p>Boomer yawned.</p>
<p>Arthur glared at him. "Yeah, well, I'm not impressed with him either. I mean, what do you even see in that guy?"</p>
<p>Instead of an answer, there was a knock on his door. Arthur peered through the peephole to see Eames' rugged profile and felt a trill in his chest. With a frown, he opened the door.</p>
<p>"There you are, finally. Where the fuck have you been?"</p>
<p>Eames grinned at him, wide and friendly, and leaned in. "Aw, darling," he said, his voice sinfully smooth. "Did you have a ruff day?"</p>
<p>"Yes, actually, the—" Arthur broke off and narrowed his eyes at Eames.</p>
<p>Eames just looked at him innocently. Behind him, Boomer jumped down from the couch.</p>
<p>"Heyyyy, there he is!" Eames said, crouching down. Arthur stepped aside to give them room.</p>
<p>"Did you have a good time at the park, my man, huh? Did you?" Eames made kissy faces as he scrubbed Boomer's ears with both hands. You'd have thought they hadn't seen each other for years the way he was going on. But Arthur couldn't stop staring at Boomer.</p>
<p>The elderly, uninterested and sleepy dog from his couch was replaced with a bouncing, wriggling ball of fur who was trying to crawl inside Eames' jacket, from the looks of it. He was licking every scrap of skin Eames had showing, and his entire back end was wagging, not just his tail. He'd tried to jump up on Eames, all three of his legs scrambling to get as close to him as possible, and he seemed to be barely holding back excited barking.</p>
<p>He <em>loved</em> Eames. It was clear from the way he lit up in Eames' presence, and Eames obviously loved him back.</p>
<p>"Aww, yes, my good boy, I missed you too, love," Eames cooed at him, giggling at Boomer licking his face. "Yes, you're the best, aren't you?"</p>
<p>Arthur watched them together and felt a pang of loss he couldn't logically place.</p>
<p>Eames stood. "I hope he wasn't any trouble for you," he said, and he seemed to mean it.</p>
<p>Arthur rolled his eyes. "In the future, Mr. Eames, when someone asks if there's anything they should know about your dog, maybe leave out the favorite color and instead explain how he'll rip your arm off if he sees a squirrel."</p>
<p>Eames laughed, throwing his head back. "Ah, Boomer, old boy. Did you get him this time?"</p>
<p>He bent to scratch the dog behind his ears and Boomer gave a low woof and licked his wrist. "Ah, well. Next time, maybe."</p>
<p>Arthur collected the leash and unused roll of baggies and held them out. Eames nodded, taking them. "Well, thanks for keeping an eye on him. And I'm sorry about the squirrel thing, yeah?"</p>
<p>"Yeah," Arthur said, nodding. "It's fine," he admitted, and it was. Nothing irreversible had happened, and he could reach out to Mr. Miles to set up a meeting later in the week. "Hey, it was nice to meet you, Boomer," Arthur added as the pair headed into the hallway.</p>
<p>Eames looked at him, eyes twinkling. "It was nice to properly meet you too, Arthur." He smiled, crooked teeth and a mouth that wouldn't quit, and Arthur felt a little warm. He didn't know what to say to that, except that after he closed his door, he realized that for the second time, he hadn't actually said thank you.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Arthur found himself thinking about the pair of them off and on for the rest of the week. Once, in the early morning, he heard a short, abbreviated howl, and had an urge to go say hello. He found reasons to go out the back way, just in case Eames might be taking Boomer out or having a smoke, but he didn't see them. It made sense, really. He and Eames had managed to avoid each other before, why should it be different now that he knew what color his eyes were, or what his accent sounded like, or what his lips looked like when they wrapped around his name?</p>
<p>Arthur shook his head to clear it. He'd been spending far too much time thinking about them, actually. Eames clearly didn't care for him, and how could he? Arthur had been nothing but a prick to him. He hadn't even said thank you. That, Arthur decided, was probably what his brain was caught on, and it was simple enough to fix.</p>
<p>That night after work, Arthur stopped by a pet store. He didn't think he'd ever been in one before, technically, and he was surprised to see actual pets in the store. People walking their dogs up and down the aisle, picking out toys and food and treats. He realized as he surveyed the aisle that consisted entirely of dog treats that he didn't know what kind Boomer liked. In fact, for as much as he thought about them, he didn't know much about either Boomer or Eames. Well, he did know one thing about Boomer.</p>
<p>In the toy aisle, he found a small stuffed squirrel that squeaked when you squeezed it. It was perfect. At home, he wrote out a thank you card and tapped it against his leg. This was stupid. It had been over a week. Surely Eames would have expected a thank you already, and this would be closing the barn door after the horse was already gone.</p>
<p>He contemplated the squirrel and decided that Boomer deserved a toy, at least, since he'd been the only one who'd had to do anything.</p>
<p>He had an idea. It was silly, he supposed, but he tightened his lips and did it anyway. With a pair of kitchen scissors and the rusty sewing skills his mother had tried to instill in him, he snipped the back leg off the squirrel toy and stitched it back up. Then he tucked the thank you card under its tail and left both outside the door to Eames' flat. There. Horse or no, it was done now and he would at least be able to stop thinking about Boomer and his annoyingly handsome owner.</p>
<hr/>
<p>If he was thinking about Eames or Boomer the next day at lunch, it was simply because he was curious if Boomer had liked the toy. Not for any other reason. But that didn't explain his response when someone caught him at it.</p>
<p>"Hey, you look like you're lost in thought," Ariadne from Corporate said as she caught him in the break room. "What are you thinking about?"</p>
<p>"No one," Arthur said too quickly.</p>
<p>Ariadne's eyebrows hit her hairline and Arthur knew he was not going to get out of having a conversation. God damn Eames anyway.</p>
<p>"Well <em>that</em> is a very interesting response," Ari said with a little too much mirth and sat down with her yogurt parfait. "And who might this no one be? Anyone in the office?" She looked over her shoulder with exaggerated sneakiness.</p>
<p>"No," Arthur said. "Hey, I was meaning to ask you. How did your meeting with Miles go?"</p>
<p>"Ah," Ari said, nodding. "Change the subject, good approach. I'll probably forget all about how you were clearly thinking of someone and just drop it."</p>
<p>Arthur gave her a Look and she smirked and rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>"It was fine. Just your standard 'I don't actually know any of the people who do the work around here and I should make an effort,' kind of meeting. But he seemed interested in what I had to say, and afterwards he gave Cat a treat the size of a bowling ball, so I've been demoted to Cat's third favorite."</p>
<p>She took a bite of her lunch and Arthur picked at his sandwich. He could feel her watching him.</p>
<p>"So," she said, and Arthur braced himself for more questions about who he'd been thinking about. "How did Boomer lose his leg?"</p>
<p>"Oh, uh." Fuck Eames. "He, um. Hunting accident."</p>
<p>Ariadne's eyebrows went up again and Arthur's gut clenched. "Hunting accident? Is he a gun dog?"</p>
<p>"Mm hmm," Arthur confirmed. "Yep. Retired now, of course. But yeah. Used to be a big gun dog in his heyday."</p>
<p>"Wow," Ari said. "What did you hunt?"</p>
<p>"Turkeys," Arthur answered. He had never gone hunting in his life. You could probably use a dog to hunt turkeys though.</p>
<p>Ari nodded. "Turkeys."</p>
<p>"Yep."</p>
<p>She nodded some more. "He lost his leg to a turkey?"</p>
<p>"Mm...hmm," Arthur said, eye contact only with his sandwich.</p>
<p>There was silence as they both ate, but Arthur could sense the mischief in her and he was bracing for something.</p>
<p>"So, is Boomer a pointer or a flusher?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Okay, you know what?" Arthur burst out, frustrated.</p>
<p>Ari watched him, lips curled around her spoon, eyes twinkling.</p>
<p>Arthur let out a sigh and gave up. "I lied."</p>
<p>She gave him a knowing look.</p>
<p>"I lied, okay? I don't own a dog. I just told Miles I did because he seemed to think I should own a dog."</p>
<p>Ari was straight out laughing at him now. "I kinda figured." She put her spoon in her empty cup. "And then you had to actually get a dog when he invited you to the dog park." Her grin was infectious, and yeah, okay, Arthur could see the humor. A little bit.</p>
<p>"Yeah," he said, sitting back with a small smile. "Boomer isn't mine, he's my downstairs neighbor's."</p>
<p>"Uh huh," she teased, chin in her hand. "And is that who you were thinking about?"</p>
<p>Arthur started and felt himself flush. Ariadne's eyes widened.</p>
<p>"Oh my gosh, it <em>was</em>! I was just kidding! I figured your neighbor would be an 80-year-old man!" She burbled with laughter.</p>
<p>"Well, he's not!" Arthur said, shaking his head at his own embarrassment. "He's a 35ish-year-old man with an 80-year-old-dog."</p>
<p>Ari's smile didn't dim, but she took pity on him. "Did you really want to know what Miles and I talked about?"</p>
<p>"Yes, please," he said, relieved.</p>
<p>"Okay," she said easily. "On one condition. You and I go get drinks sometime after work and you let me talk about my boss with someone not in my department."</p>
<p>"Oh," Arthur hesitated. "Um—"</p>
<p>"Just as friends," she added. "And nothing bad, but just...when your boss is the richest and most powerful person in the building, there's not a lot of stories I can tell. And <em>oh man,</em> the stories I could tell. Come on. I'll let you bitch about <em>your </em>boss..." she sing-songed. "And I won't even tell anyone about your imaginary dog."</p>
<p>Arthur rolled his eyes but held out a hand. "Deal."</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Oh my god, he did not," Arthur laughed.</p>
<p>"He did!" Ari said, laughing even harder. "Just bought the whole company like it was nothing."</p>
<p>Arthur wiped his eyes. "Jesus. How are billionaires even real?"</p>
<p>Ari shook her head, taking a draw from her beer. "I have no idea. But every time there's a new project he flies there personally in his own jet, annoys everyone by hanging around while they're trying to work, and usually messes something up or gets in someone's way."</p>
<p>They both chuckled and Arthur took a sip of his own bottle. "So, you spend a lot of time talking about your boss," he said easily, no judgment in his tone. He got a sharp look in reply anyway. He held his hands up. "Hey, I'm just saying. People might think you're into him."</p>
<p>Ari shook her head. "Nah. I've got Yusuf. Besides, he's got plenty of women in his life." She peeled off the label from her bottle.</p>
<p>"Plenty, huh?"</p>
<p>"Yeah. Wife and a mistress, and doesn't really care who knows it. And a weird obsession with rugs, I guess?" She shrugged. "I snooped in his office one day."</p>
<p>Arthur snorted. "Wow. Remind me not to try to keep anything from you."</p>
<p>She grinned at him. "Why? You got other secrets besides not owning a dog?"</p>
<p>He grinned back over the mouth of his beer. "Why? You writing a tell-all book?"</p>
<p>She threw the crumpled beer label at him. "So tell me about your neighbor."</p>
<p>Arthur hummed around his mouthful. "No, that's okay."</p>
<p>"Why not?" she said. "Come on. Have you told him how you feel?"</p>
<p>"There's nothing to tell," Arthur admitted. "I've talked to him twice, borrowed his dog once, and complained about him to the landlord a bunch of times. We're not exactly friends."</p>
<p>Ari considered. "You're not nothing though, either. I mean, you're thinking about him on your lunch break. That counts for something, doesn't it?"</p>
<p>Arthur snorted. "Not to him."</p>
<p>Ari hummed. "What's his name?"</p>
<p>Arthur told her and she mouthed it as if trying it out. "Eames and Boomer," she said. "A formidable pair."</p>
<p>Arthur nodded his agreement. "Ah, well. Here's to formidable people." He held out his bottle and she knocked hers against it companionably.</p>
<p>Arthur felt comfortably buzzed by the time he left, and he'd forgotten what it was like to just go out and get drinks with a friend. He'd been so concerned with moving on, he hadn't really thought about making friends again. But Ari was nice. She had some kind of weird, intrusive obsession with her boss, but she was smart and funny and interesting. He helped her into a cab and wished he could have been interested in someone like her.</p>
<p>Two days later, when there was a knock on his apartment door, he for some reason thought of Ari. She was his only real contact in this city, even though he'd been here for almost seven months, but how did she find his apartment? He hadn't told her where he'd lived, and even—</p>
<p>"Eames," he said with surprise when he opened the door. "What are you doing here?" He took in his bedraggled state and slight panting. "Is everything alright?"</p>
<p>"Can you watch Boomer for a few days?" Eames said without preamble. He was out of breath, his hair was wet from the rain, and he did not, in fact, have Boomer with him.</p>
<p>"What? Why? I don't think that's the best idea," Arthur said all in one breath.</p>
<p>Eames lifted one hand and let it drop in defeat. "I've got to go out of town, and The Bark and Breakfast where I normally take him is full up. I can't find a copy of his rabies vaccine and a new place won't take him without it. Can't take him on the plane, can't leave him alone…" Eames pushed a hand through his hair with a slightly desperate air. "<em>Please</em>, Arthur. You owe me one."</p>
<p>Arthur opened his mouth to point out that he'd <em>said</em> thank you for that, but shut it again. "Well, I—"</p>
<p>"Thank Christ," Eames said, slumping against his door frame.</p>
<p>"Hey, wait a minute, I never—"</p>
<p>"His food is under the sink, mate," Eames said, shoving a key in his hand. "One cup in the morning. My number is on the counter, just text me if you have any questions."</p>
<p>"Wait, you want me to—"</p>
<p>"Thank you, Arthur, honestly, I could kiss you right now."</p>
<p>All the words died in his mouth and suddenly Arthur's doorway was very warm. Arthur <em>knew</em> his eyes dropped to that mouth and he couldn't stop them. Fuck. He looked away.</p>
<p>"Hey, wait," Arthur said as Eames moved to leave. He looked back, still moving. "You're leaving now? Don't you need to…"</p>
<p>Arthur gestured, unsure what Eames might need to do, and Eames smiled. His delightfully crooked teeth and his warm eyes changed his whole face.</p>
<p>"I already told him goodbye, darling. No need to worry."</p>
<p>Arthur felt himself blush again, although he had no reason to. So when Eames turned away again, Arthur let him go.</p>
<p>The single silver key in his palm was warm, mirroring his face, and he wrapped his fingers around it. For a moment he considered running directly to Eames' apartment and doing embarrassing and unnecessary things like smelling his pillows and going through his medicine chest. He also briefly had a flash of dumping the key in the nearest trash can and going back to his laptop. Of course, he would never do either of those things, but he hated that they crossed his mind at all.</p>
<p>With a sigh, he made the trek downstairs.</p>
<p>Boomer met him at the door, letting loose three sharp barks to let Arthur know he was not, in fact, the Eames Boomer had been expecting.</p>
<p>"I know, buddy, I know," Arthur soothed as he closed the door behind him. "Sorry about that. But Eames asked me to watch over you, okay?"</p>
<p>Except now that Arthur was here, in Eames' apartment, it was hard not to look around. It was cleaner than he'd imagined. With mismatched furniture and a large collection of vinyl records, complete with a record player, Eames' apartment surprised him. He wasn't sure why.</p>
<p>The walls were adorned with art, original pieces Eames must have paid a pretty penny for, and even though the layout was technically the same as his own, Arthur couldn't have felt less at home than he did here. Every inch of this space screamed "Eames" in ways Arthur was sure he could never have intended, and Arthur felt unnerved, like he was smelling the pillowcase anyway.</p>
<p>Arthur looked at Boomer, who was looking at him. "Uh, maybe we should go to my place. I can't imagine Eames wanted me to stay here with you, even if this is your apartment."</p>
<p>Boomer didn't reply.</p>
<p>Arthur found the food exactly where Eames had said it would be, and he grabbed the bag of treats, Milkbones he noted for later, and Boomer's dish as well. The sticky note on the counter had a number scratched onto it, and he pocketed it. Boomer perked up when Arthur brought his food out, but Arthur set them by the door.</p>
<p>"Okay, Boomer, what else? Do you have a bed or something?"</p>
<p>Boomer cocked his head.</p>
<p>"Or a favorite toy?"</p>
<p>Boomer went to a small basket under the window which Arthur hadn't noticed before and pulled out the squirrel toy Arthur had gotten for him. He carried it over to Arthur, but didn't let go.</p>
<p>"Hey, look at that. Looks like you liked it after all. Okay, you carry that, and I'll get the rest, okay?"</p>
<p>Arthur grabbed the leash and collar on a hook by the front door and piled everything in his arms, struggling to close and lock the door behind him. Boomer waited patiently, squirrel in his mouth, and followed Arthur slowly, his gentle hop familiar now.</p>
<p>Arthur let them inside his apartment with a quick glance around for anything he didn't want Boomer-ized and deposited the dog food and treats under his own sink.</p>
<p>"Make yourself at home," he told Boomer, who had already started an apparently ritual sniff-test of his apartment. Arthur put Eames' number in his phone and then armed himself with the lint roller. However, after following him around for five minutes with zero destruction, Boomer finally appeared satisfied and placed his squirrel down on Arthur's couch before settling beside the balcony door and looking out the window.</p>
<p>With a grimace, Arthur pushed the toy onto the floor with his finger. "So, what are you normally doing at," he checked his watch, "7:45 pm on a Tuesday?"</p>
<p>Boomer replied by laser-focusing on whatever was happening outside.</p>
<p>"Well…" Arthur said, unsure, but he finally shrugged and grabbed his laptop. He'd been in the middle of building a query and he'd like to get it finished so it could run overnight if possible. He settled on the couch and wondered if Eames would be annoyed by texts like, "How do I know if he has to go outside?" and "What time in the morning does he get fed?" and "How do you keep him from getting water everywhere?" He found himself googling things instead of working on his query.</p>
<p>He was deep in an article about how to house-train your puppy when Boomer scared the shit out of him with one sharp bark.</p>
<p>He looked up to find him standing at the front door, looking at him expectantly.</p>
<p>"What the...Oh. Did you need to go out? Outside?"</p>
<p>Boomer pawed at the door.</p>
<p>Arthur jumped up and grabbed the leash and a plastic shopping bag and hurried to take him out. Boomer acted much the same way he had the day Arthur had seen him with Eames, and after Boomer let him know he was ready to go back in by sitting patiently by the door to the complex, Arthur wondered how often he would be doing this song and dance.</p>
<p>Back in his apartment, he started a "Boomer's Routines" spreadsheet and entered the time. Then he googled "how frequently do dogs pee?"</p>
<p>With a <em>whump</em>, Boomer hoisted himself onto the couch beside Arthur and turned in a circle before lying down, leaning against his thigh. The squirrel was back in his mouth, and he set it gently next to him before sighing and closing his eyes.</p>
<p>Arthur sat, frozen, until he'd fully settled, and then gingerly pushed the saliva-covered toy onto the floor.</p>
<p>"Are you...good now?" he asked.</p>
<p>Boomer's nose twitched but he didn't move.</p>
<p>Arthur lowered his voice. "Are you sleeping?"</p>
<p>Still no response.</p>
<p>Tentatively, slowly, Arthur let his left hand brush over the top of Boomer's head. His fur was surprisingly softer there, not the coarser hair that covered the rest of him. Arthur's fingertips trailed down one ear.</p>
<p>Boomer shifted even closer and made a contented sound, leaning into his hand. With a faint smile, Arthur petted the dog, small soft strokes over his head and ears making way to longer pets down his neck and back. Boomer didn't seem to mind.</p>
<p>Feeling calmer, Arthur switched back to his query and got back to work. Well, as much work as he could do one-handed anyway. The other hand was busy petting a dog.</p>
<p>After a few hours, Boomer lifted his head.</p>
<p>"Hey, buddy, get a good nap in th...where are you going?"</p>
<p>Boomer hopped down from the couch and made his way to the door again.</p>
<p>"Oh, okay," Arthur said, getting up. He grabbed another plastic bag and the leash and as he bent to clip it to Boomer's collar, he started to pace.</p>
<p>"Alright, alright, hold still."</p>
<p>When he opened the door, Boomer led the way at a good clip. "You really have to go, huh old man? Okay, we're—"</p>
<p>Boomer didn't turn down the hallway to go outside. He trotted right past it without so much as a pause, even though he'd practically shown Arthur where the back exit was earlier. Curious, Arthur followed him.</p>
<p>When Boomer stopped outside Eames' apartment and pawed at the door, Arthur grimaced. "Ah. Sorry, Boomer, I didn't bring the key. Did you need something from in there?"</p>
<p>Boomer sat down and whined.</p>
<p>"Hey," Arthur squatted down next to him. "It's okay. We'll just come back and get whatever it is."</p>
<p>Boomer lay down on the carpet, head on his paws. Arthur could have sworn his fuzzy face looked miserable.</p>
<p>"Do you still have to go outside?" he asked, almost hopeful that was the issue. Boomer didn't move.</p>
<p>"It's okay, buddy, we'll just go get the key and come back," Arthur tried again, but Boomer still refused to move from his post at Eames' door. When Arthur finally resorted to picking him up and carrying him back to his apartment, Boomer let loose one long, lonely howl.</p>
<hr/>
<p><em>I think Boomer misses you</em>, Arthur finally texted that night from his own couch. He sent Eames a picture of his dog mournfully curled up with a shirt Arthur had pulled from Eames' hamper and brought back with him. It was late to text someone you barely knew, but that just meant Eames would have something nice to wake up to.</p>
<p>It had taken over an hour to figure out what Boomer wanted. When walks and treats and food and water hadn't resolved the pitiful whine-and-pace he'd developed, Arthur broke down and texted Ariadne. She laughed, but actually had some good ideas, like Eames' shirt. He went back to Eames' armed with the key and the determination that he'd do whatever it took, if Boomer would just stop <em>looking</em> at him like that. He'd stared at Arthur with eyes that said his heart was broken and he just knew Arthur could fix it if he'd only try.</p>
<p>
  <em>Arthur, u bloody minx, u've stoln my dog n my heart</em>
</p>
<p>Arthur looked dubiously at the barely legible text and showed it to Boomer. "This? This is what we're pining for?"</p>
<p>Boomer sighed dramatically.</p>
<p>Arthur sighed back. "Yeah, alright."</p>
<p>He texted back, <em>Despite your terrible spelling, you are still the owner of a very good, very sad dog.</em></p>
<p><em>Flatterer,</em> was the only response, and Arthur frowned at his phone. Then he texted Ari back.</p>
<p>
  <em>He just said I stole his heart and called me a flatterer. That's good, right?</em>
</p>
<p>She texted back immediately, like she'd been waiting up to find out the outcome. <em>That's V GOOD! Good thing you didn't break his dog then, huh. ;)</em></p>
<p>
  <em>How was I supposed to know what was wrong with him?!</em>
</p>
<p>She texted back a laughing emoji so Arthur rolled his eyes and plugged his phone in for the night. "Well, I guess we should think about getting to bed, huh, Boom…"</p>
<p>Boomer took off at a run, nails skittering.</p>
<p>"...er?" Arthur followed his crazy hop-run through the apartment and into his bedroom to find Boomer nestling down in the center of the bed with Eames' t-shirt as a pillow.</p>
<p>"Oh, no, no, no, get down," Arthur protested. "That is not happening. Absolutely no."</p>
<p>He guided Boomer off the bed and proceeded to pull spare blankets and a pillow from the hall closet.</p>
<p>"You can have the whole couch to yourself, okay?"</p>
<p>Boomer watched him with his head cocked.</p>
<p>"Or we can do the floor if you want," Arthur allowed. "That's actually better for me."</p>
<p>He coaxed Boomer to lay down in the makeshift nest he'd made, layering Eames' shirt and his squirrel toy for added incentive. Then he went to bed.</p>
<p>Fuck, it had been a long day. Boomer was almost like having another person in his apartment and Arthur took a moment to breathe and relax in his own space.</p>
<p>
  <em>Scratch, scratch.</em>
</p>
<p>"No, Boomer," Arthur said, annoyed. "Go sleep in your bed."</p>
<p>Silence, so Arthur pulled on his favorite Tom Ford pajamas and brushed his teeth in the ensuite.</p>
<p>A soft whine came from the other side of the door.</p>
<p>"Boomer! We already discussed this," Arthur explained.</p>
<p>Silence again, so Arthur climbed between the sheets and turned on his whale sounds before taking a deep, cleansing breath.</p>
<p>A loud, mournful howl sounded over the whales.</p>
<p>"Boomer!" Arthur shouted. Getting up, he yanked open his bedroom door. "Bad—"</p>
<p>Boomer vaulted inside and onto the bed, standing almost eye to eye with Arthur with his long pink tongue lolling out.</p>
<p>Arthur put his hands on his hips. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.</p>
<p>Boomer sank down and gave him that <em>look.</em></p>
<p>"No, Boomer," Arthur said, backing up, "that is entirely unfair."</p>
<p>Head on his paws, eyebrows pleading, Boomer gave him a look that would have moved Pharaoh's heart.</p>
<p>Arthur threw his hands up. He was only a man. There was only so much brutality he was capable of. "Fine. Okay? Fine. You win. But if you tell any of my future boyfriends the trick to getting to sleep with me on the first date, I will <em>murder</em> you. Got it?"</p>
<p>Despite years of hating anyone else in his bed, despite needing a very exact and unshakable routine in order to feel remotely tired, and despite Boomer snoring like an actual old man, Arthur slept like a baby.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  
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</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Alright, my good sir, it looks like we have the chef recommended 'chicken and salmon' for your first course today, served in a metal bowl of suspect cleanliness, with a side of your previously-sampled favorite tap water. I took the liberty of pouring for you."</p>
<p>Boomer watched him, tail wagging, as he set the bowl filled with one level cupful of the food on his kitchen floor. Then he looked at Arthur, smiling.</p>
<p>"What? Not hungry?" Arthur tilted his head at the dog. "It's okay, go ahead."</p>
<p>Boomer moved to eat, tail still wagging, and Arthur watched him over the rim of his coffee mug.</p>
<p>He wasn't sure when to expect Eames back, but he was determined that when he was, he'd agree that Arthur was the <em>best </em>at dog-watching. Boomer was never going to be so well watched again.</p>
<p>"After you're done there, my friend, we are going to a groomer and then to this pet store I know of. What do you think? Sound like a plan?"</p>
<p>Arthur had a little vacation time built up and to be honest, he was looking forward to spending time with someone else. Especially someone as non-judgy as Boomer. He'd taken the whole day off and he had no idea what Boomer normally did for a whole day, but god damn it, he was about to find out.</p>
<p>Arthur was prepared this time, armed with paper towels to clean up Boomer's water trail. He still gulped it down like he'd never had water in his life, so Arthur regulated himself to keeping the bowl on the floor at all times, just in case dogs were thirstier than he realized.</p>
<p>"Alright, let's do it," he said, grabbing the leash and leading the way to his car. Boomer hopped along beside him, not too concerned about wherever Arthur seemed to be leading him, and he appeared to remember Arthur's car, taking extra care not to slip on the seats. Arthur still had towels in the back from the last time Boomer had ridden, but he seemed to be okay for now, so he left them where they were.</p>
<p>The groomer's was small and tidy and ready for them when he walked in.</p>
<p>"Hello," said the slim man behind the counter. "Are you Boomer?"</p>
<p>Apparently talking to the animal was how they conducted business here. "Yes, this is Boomer. And I'm Arthur."</p>
<p>"Nice to meet you," he said, still mostly talking to the dog. "Did you want a nail trim and anal gland expression with the wash today?"</p>
<p>Arthur blanched. "Anal...gland?"</p>
<p>The man looked at him finally, a small smile on his face. "Yes. Dogs have glands next to their anus that fill up with—"</p>
<p>"You know what, go ahead, let's do that. That would be just fine." Arthur decided there were some things about dogs that he didn't really need to know. Maintain the mystery and all that. Besides. He didn't even own a dog.</p>
<p>The groomer took Boomer in the back and Arthur sat down to wait. He might have taken the day off work, but that was no reason to let his work emails back up. It'd just make it harder for him tomorrow. Or...whenever Eames got back. Arthur frowned. If he had to take more than two days off work to watch a dog, he might need to talk to his boss. He was fairly new, and they frowned on people—</p>
<p>"All done!"</p>
<p>Arthur stood up and saw they'd not only washed him and...whatever else, they'd also tied a jaunty bandana around his neck.</p>
<p>"Well!" Arthur said, bending down to adjust it for him. "Don't you look like a proper gentleman?"</p>
<p>Boomer agreed with a lick to his wrist.</p>
<p>"Alright, onward to the pet store, my good man."</p>
<p>The pet store was busier today than it was when he'd stopped by for the squirrel and Arthur worried Boomer might bark or make a mess in the store. Maybe this was a bad idea. He stopped next to a small piece of landscaping on the edge of the parking lot and waited to see if Boomer would do his business, but Boomer seemed quite content to spend a solid five minutes sniffing a rock there. When he finally lifted his leg to loose the tiniest trickle of pee Arthur had ever seen, he realized he was not the first person to think of this.</p>
<p>Tugging Boomer away from the pee rock, they headed in, only a slight curl of apprehension in Arthur's stomach. Boomer, however, was right at home. He led the way to the treat aisle and nosed at a box of Milkbones on one of the lower shelves.</p>
<p>"You don't need those," he told him. "We've got a whole box under the sink, remember? Besides, there's probably a literal ton of treats in this store. You really want those?"</p>
<p>Boomer just sat on his haunches and looked at him.</p>
<p>"Uuugh," Arthur groaned. "Don't give me that look."</p>
<p>He heard a chuckle from behind him and turned to see a man smile and squat down to pet Boomer, offering his knuckles first to be sniffed.</p>
<p>"They don't ever outgrow puppy eyes, huh?" he asked.</p>
<p>Arthur frowned. "Apparently not." He scowled at Boomer. "He's been doing that a lot lately. It's like he's doing it on purpose."</p>
<p>The man laughed. "Of course he is. And if you keep giving in, he's going to keep doing it."</p>
<p>Arthur turned to Boomer, feeling slightly betrayed. Had he been...manipulated? He felt a begrudging sort of respect.</p>
<p>"Huh. I guess you're right. Do you work here?"</p>
<p>"Me? No, I just wear this vest because it brings out my eyes."</p>
<p>Arthur scowled. "Hilarious."</p>
<p>He laughed and said, "What can I help you two find?"</p>
<p>"Well," Arthur said, slowly, "I've been doing some reading online about cold-pressed dog food. Do you have anything like that here?"</p>
<p>He nodded and led the way. He talked about slowly introducing new foods, especially for older dogs, and showed him some "senior" options they kept in-stock. Arthur frowned and decided they should probably stick to something a little less permanent, but he definitely needed to have a conversation with Eames when he got back about the basic, and frankly low-brow kibble he'd been giving Boomer.</p>
<p>"Senior dog food sounds so ageist," he told Boomer later as they climbed back in the car. He'd let Boomer select a new toy from the toy aisle, and Boomer carried the squeaky frog out himself.</p>
<p>He consulted his spreadsheet from his phone. Boomer would need to go out soon. "Well, old man, do you think we should head back? Or was there someplace you need me to stop?"</p>
<p>Boomer rested his head on his frog in response, curled contentedly in the front seat with his eyes closed.</p>
<p>"Homeward bound it is." Arthur started the car.</p>
<p>Boomer did indeed need to stop at the playground before they headed back inside, and Arthur only had to tug him gently towards his apartment instead of Eames', soothing words and a few enticing squeaks of the frog Boomer had handed him for safekeeping. Arthur considered it great progress since it didn't involve howling.</p>
<p>Back at the apartment, Boomer headed for his spot on the couch, but not before depositing the frog next to the window and picking up his squirrel instead. Then he sat down next to Arthur and to his surprise, Boomer rested his head on Arthur's thigh.</p>
<p>"Oh." Arthur gently settled his hand on the crown of Boomer's head. "Did you want me to...pet you?"</p>
<p>Boomer nudged his hand with his head.</p>
<p>Arthur guessed that was a yes and rubbed behind Boomer's soft ears. With a deeply satisfied groan, Boomer settled comfortably down and breathed a long sigh that eventually turned into his familiar snore. Arthur smirked and petted, amused that he could just drop off like that even though Arthur was a stranger. He must miss Eames and his normal routine, whatever that was. For a few minutes, Arthur scrolled on his phone with his other hand before he gave up, rested his head on the back of his very uncomfortable couch, and joined Boomer in a rare, but very welcome, nap.</p>
<p>He was startled awake what felt like hours later by Boomer jerking upright. It took him a moment to recalibrate before he realized the phone in his pocket had vibrated out an alert, which had startled the dog who had migrated to lie across his entire couch.</p>
<p>Arthur reached for his phone and blinked at the time. "Wow, that was some nap," he told Boomer. "Clearly I need to do that more often. Or less. I don't know. What does it mean when you either can't sleep at all or you sleep way too much?"</p>
<p>Boomer only hopped off the couch and leaned into a shoulder stretch that looked like it felt so good Arthur stretched too.</p>
<p>
  <em>will b on flight bck 2nite. 10pm too late?</em>
</p>
<p>With a sinking feeling, Arthur realized his day off with Boomer was actually his last day with Boomer. For a second, he felt a tightening in his chest, a hole where Boomer's things and mannerisms and comfort had fit perfectly, and which was now about to be emptied.</p>
<p><em>Boomer will be glad to see you</em>, he texted back. <em>Whenever you get in is fine.</em></p>
<p>With a sigh, he slid his phone into his pocket and rested his elbows on his knees. The clatter of Boomer's nails on the floor preceded him nudging Arthur for more pets, and Arthur complied, stroking the soft fur of his ears and scratching the longer fur under his collar.</p>
<p>"Well, buddy. I had fun hanging out with you. You ended up being pretty okay, you know that?"</p>
<p>Boomer didn't say anything, but his tongue lolled out the side of his mouth and he leaned against Arthur's calf.</p>
<p>"I don't know why this feels so bad. It's not like you're my dog or anything." The words tasted bad but he said them because they were true and he needed to force himself to hear them.</p>
<p>"Maybe I'll just get my own dog," he suggested, just to try those ones out loud. Boomer looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "What?" Arthur said. "It's not a terrible idea. I'd have someone to talk to, anyway. And there'd be someone who cared if I came home for supper." Arthur shook himself and looked at Boomer, realizing what was coming out of his mouth. "I mean, I'd probably have to get the dog its own bed, for sure. Or maybe even a kennel. Hey, did you know there are dogs who do not shed? At all? Can you imagine?"</p>
<p>Boomer nudged his hand again and Arthur resumed petting. "Yeah, I know. They wouldn't be you, would they. You're a pretty good boy, you know that?"</p>
<p>Boomer's tail thumped on the floor.</p>
<p>There was a knock on his door at 10:42 that night, and Arthur re-stacked the pile of Boomer's things on the end of the couch before opening it.</p>
<p>"Sorry, darling," Eames said before he even crossed the threshold. "Flight was delayed a bit and I wasn't s— hey, there's my man!"</p>
<p>Boomer ran directly into his knees, jumping up in his excitement. The happiness in his smile was only exceeded by the high whines he emitted and the blur of a tail at his back end.</p>
<p>Arthur smiled at the pair fondly this time, Eames kneeling to ruffle Boomer's ears and make kissy noises while Boomer laved every inch of his face and neck with his tongue. Eames eventually gave in and picked Boomer up, holding him so Arthur could close the door behind him and move to stand awkwardly in his own apartment, hands shoved deep in the pockets of his jeans.</p>
<p>"Yes, alright, alright," Eames murmured to his dog, kissing his face and ears. "I missed you too." He grinned at Arthur, a heart-stoppingly attractive smile even though he looked tired and wrinkled. "Was he well-behaved for you?"</p>
<p>Arthur nodded and cleared his throat. "Yeah, yeah, he's been great. We ran some errands today together— even went to the groomer. Just for something to do," Arthur said quickly, worried he'd offended Eames.</p>
<p>Eames just raised an eyebrow. "I saw your fancy scarf mate. You look like a proper gentleman."</p>
<p>Arthur chuckled. "That's what I told him."</p>
<p>Eames grinned at him again and set Boomer down, his three paws still dancing his adoration of Eames, and Arthur wondered what it would be like to have someone love you like that.</p>
<p>Okay, yeah. He either needed his own dog or his own therapist. He took his hands out of his pockets.</p>
<p>"So," Arthur said, "before you go, we should talk about cold-pressed dog food. Have you read any of the studies that talk about the health benefits of a raw food diet for dogs?"</p>
<p>Eames looked at him, bewildered, while still trying to pet and calm Boomer at his feet. "What?"</p>
<p>Arthur took in Eames' lined face and rumpled slacks and realized he'd literally come straight here from the airport. Hell, his suitcase was probably sitting in the hallway. He shook his head.</p>
<p>"Never mind. We can chat some other time. You look beat to hell."</p>
<p>Eames sagged a bit. "I am a bit. It's been a long day. Thanks for this, Arthur, truly. I appreciate it more than you know."</p>
<p>Arthur just nodded and indicated the pile. The squirrel and frog sat nestled together on top, but Eames didn't seem to notice as he picked up everything and piled it in his arms, not bothering to leash Boomer. Well, Arthur allowed, he probably didn't need it.</p>
<p>"You ready, Boomer-old-buddy-old-pal?" he asked, and the look of love on Boomer's face was almost cartoonish. If there were heart-eyes in this world, they'd probably come from a dog.</p>
<p>Arthur let them out, nodding again at another, "Thanks again, mate," and closing the door behind them. He looked at his pristine apartment and went to the kitchen to empty the bowl of water he'd left beside the refrigerator.</p>
<p>That night, whale sounds on and exact routine followed, Arthur found himself staring at the ceiling before finally getting up and retrieving his phone. He looked at the one picture he'd taken of Boomer, and the short text conversation he'd had with Eames. He should delete both, maybe remove the contact from his phone. They were square now. Eames had cashed in the favor Arthur owed him so there was no reason they'd ever need to talk again. With a grimace, Arthur admitted he hadn't struck out with Eames. He hadn't even swung the bat. And now he wasn't sure if he was more upset about not having the dog or his owner in his life.</p>
<p>He opened a new text.</p>
<p>
  <em>Hey. How would you and the kids like to come see my new place?</em>
</p>
<p>And then before he could change his mind, he hit send.</p><hr/>
<p>Dom brought the kids on a Saturday. The visit was fun and fraught with as many touristy destinations and restaurants that included chicken fingers as they could squeeze in, and it was only a day-trip, for which Arthur was both disappointed and supremely grateful.</p>
<p>The kids were gorgeous and growing like crazy, and James asked questions non-stop while Phillipa watched everything with gigantic eyes. She had loved the aquarium the best, while James was currently into everything Legos, and Arthur loved them both so much it hurt.</p>
<p>Dom had hugged him and slapped his back warmly, and didn't say anything when Arthur couldn't meet his eyes. He just talked to and through the kids a lot, and Arthur was both disappointed and grateful for that too.</p>
<p>He smiled and smiled and laughed and joked and picked James up and swung him around as much as possible. He asked Pippa questions and made sure he listened to her answers, especially if she trailed off. He made sure Dom was functionally okay, still holding down a job, and still going to therapy. He wasn't sure if anyone else was checking up on him and he promised himself he'd at least text more often.</p>
<p>And when they left, and his apartment felt cold and empty, and he felt like he'd shatter into a million pieces if he had to hold it together for one more person, Arthur wished, stupidly, for Boomer.</p>
<p>He looked at his bed, contemptible and beckoning, and then at his watch. Almost 9 pm. His spreadsheet showed Boomer would have already done his business for the night so there was no chance he'd catch them outside.</p>
<p>He pushed a hand through his hair and cursed. He couldn't do this anymore. He couldn't keep living this half-life in a city where he knew no one and tried not to connect with people and felt broken all the time. If he wanted Boomer, well fuck everything, Boomer lived in the same damn building. And he was tired. He was so tired.</p>
<p>Arthur walked slowly down the stairs, frowning at himself and knowing he was going to do this anyway. He wasn't going to get what he wanted, he told himself. Boomer wasn't going to greet him the way he'd greeted Eames, and even if he somehow got past Eames, this dog, who only wanted to be petted and fed and maybe given a new toy now and then, wasn't going to fill this aching cavern where his soul used to be.</p>
<p>He knocked on the door anyway.</p>
<p>Boomer's responding bark nearly broke him, but he stood up straight and met Eames' eye in the peephole, and tried not to look insane when Eames opened the door.</p>
<p>"Arthur, darling, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Eames said with a smile. "Bring your dog to work day, is it?" He leaned on the door jam and opened the door wide enough that Boomer, trotting forward, could see who was there too.</p>
<p>To Arthur's surprise, when Boomer saw him, his tail wagged and he gave him one of those doggy smiles.</p>
<p>Arthur smiled back. "Hey there, buddy," he said, and reached out to pet the head nosing at his knee. Eames didn't say anything, so Arthur didn't look up, just kept touching those soft ears, going down on one knee, and getting closer and closer, until before he knew it his face was buried in the fur at Boomer's neck, and he felt the hot sting of tears soaking his coat.</p>
<p>Boomer licked his face and Arthur, ashamed, cupped a hand around his eyes, wiping them. He stayed down a moment longer and a warm hand touched his shoulder.</p>
<p>"Was about to make a cup of tea. Come on in. The water's just boiled."</p>
<p>Eames left him to rise on his own and headed inside, Boomer trotting at his heels. Arthur glanced at them, wiping his face, and followed.</p>
<p>The kitchen had a worn wooden table, but Eames brought two mugs to the couch and set them on the low coffee table there. Boomer hopped into what was obviously his spot and licked his lips, watching happily. Arthur felt like an idiot.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry," he said, "you don't have to do this. I just— "</p>
<p>Eames flapped a hand and indicated the armchair opposite him. "Nothing doing, mate. Just a cuppa. Have a seat."</p>
<p>Arthur sat where he was told and tried to find a way to explain why he'd needed to come hug his dog in the middle of the night. Eames wasn't exactly looking at him, more blowing across the top of his tea and petting Boomer, but of course he'd want to know. Anyone would.</p>
<p>"So, I can't quite remember," Eames said instead. "Did I ever explain why I had to go out of town?"</p>
<p>Arthur, words dying on his tongue, shook his head.</p>
<p>Eames took a sip of tea. "Dunno if you have siblings," he waited for Arthur to shake his head again, "well, I've got six of them. Three older and three younger, and then there's me, trapped right smack in the middle."</p>
<p>Arthur finally reached for the mug Eames had made for him. "That's a big family."</p>
<p>"You've no idea, love. Bloody sisters never leaving the loo, younger brothers stealing your toothbrush to do God knows what with it, never a moment's peace, I'll tell you that for free. It's a circus, is what it is. I always swore to myself that when I grew up, as soon as I could I would move far away and never talk to another living soul unless it was to tell them 'a little off the top'."</p>
<p>Arthur smiled into his mug despite himself. "How'd that work out for you?"</p>
<p>Eames shrugged. "Not bad, actually. I do occasionally have to interact with people, but I don't mind so much anymore." He grinned at Arthur, and Arthur felt his ears heat. "Problem is, big families don't stop being big or being families, so occasionally your sister calls you and says your mum fell, and she might be dying, and can you please come home."</p>
<p>Arthur froze. "Oh, Jesus. Eames, I'm so sorry. Is she okay?"</p>
<p>Eames was already holding up a hand. "She's fine, she's fine. Broke her hip like a proper old woman, and is more sore and embarrassed than dying. Doctors found she has osteoporosis, but she'll be okay."</p>
<p>Arthur tried to relax. "Oh."</p>
<p>Eames shrugged. "Anyway, it ended up being more jet lag and chaos than it really called for, but all's well that ends well. And she got to guilt-trip me about never visiting while I was there, visiting."</p>
<p>Arthur's lips twitched and he drank some more tea. It was warming him up and he was feeling better. He watched Eames' hand pet Boomer and slowed his breathing.</p>
<p>"Mm," Eames said, sitting up, swallowing a mouthful of tea. "Almost forgot. This is for you."</p>
<p>He reached for his wallet and pulled out a $50 bill. He handed it over to Arthur, the slightly curved paper stretching across the space between them, and Arthur took it with a frown.</p>
<p>"What's this?"</p>
<p>"For watching Boomer, of course," he said, settling back. "I'd have had to spend more than that for a stay at the Bark and Breakfast, and besides, I figure I owe you for the groom and the new toy. Thanks for that, by the way. Thing squeaks like a right bastard."</p>
<p>Arthur looked at the money like it was covered in maggots. Slowly, so he wouldn't throw them, he placed both his mug and the bill on the coffee table.</p>
<p>"There are not enough words to explain to you why I will not be taking that."</p>
<p>Eames raised his eyebrows, but he didn't say anything.</p>
<p>Arthur licked his lips and stared at his hands. "I didn't have a reason to come here. I guess I...I had an urge to see Boomer. I knocked on your door on the off chance you weren't busy, and I apologize for breaking down like that, but I cannot stress enough that it was not a problem to watch him while you were gone. You can bring him over anytime; I'm happy to watch him whenever you need."</p>
<p>Eames, to Arthur's surprise, just shrugged. "You don't have to explain to me that sometimes you just need to pet a dog." His hand found Boomer's head again and Boomer stretched out more on the couch, back leg flexing. "You're welcome to come visit anytime <em>you</em> need."</p>
<p>Arthur blinked at him. Then he rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. "I don't even know why I'm here. I just...I had a bad day, I guess."</p>
<p>Eames took another sip of his tea. "Something happen?"</p>
<p>He said it casually, like he was generally curious, and instead of getting defensive the way he usually did whenever she got brought up, Arthur found himself collapsing back into the chair.</p>
<p>"No, not really," he admitted. "I had some visitors and," he sighed, "it stirred up a lot of memories I guess."</p>
<p>Eames nodded and sipped and petted.</p>
<p>And Arthur, before he knew what he was going to say, started talking. "About six months ago, my best friend killed herself."</p>
<p>Eames leaned forward to set his mug down. "Ah, love, I'm sorry to hear that."</p>
<p>Arthur nodded because he still wasn't sure what to say to that. "Her husband and kids came to visit. It was the first time since the funeral, and…" he trailed off, his throat closing up.</p>
<p>Eames just watched him.</p>
<p>Arthur took a breath. "Anyway. I moved far away and swore I'd never talk to another living soul. But it wasn't really working out for me like it did for you, I guess."</p>
<p>Eames didn't smile like he'd been going for, but he looked at Boomer, idly pulling an ear through his fingers. "What was she like?"</p>
<p>Arthur felt the knife in his gut twist, but he smiled softly. For her. "She was lovely."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Arthur stared at the ceiling and watched himself sob on a dog's shoulder in front of his handsome neighbor on repeat. With a wince and a groan, he rolled over and shut his eyes and watched himself spill his entire soul to said handsome stranger over a cup of tea. Fuck. Whale sounds were not doing it tonight.</p><p>He got up and grabbed his phone, hoping some mindless scrolling would at least give him something else to think about, even if it didn't put him to sleep. God, this was so humiliating. Suddenly, painfully, he wished more than anything that he could talk to Mal. He stared at the Contacts button on his phone and wished he could call her and hear her yawn deliberately in his ear, and then say, "And what are you going to do about it, mon cher?"</p><p>Nothing. He was going to do nothing about it, and he knew it. The fact that he'd gone down to talk to a dog was ludicrous to begin with, and if he'd ever had the inkling of a thought in the back of his mind about possibly asking Eames out for a drink, it was now out of the question. He would be taking the long way to his car tomorrow to ensure they wouldn't cross paths, and for now, he was determined to find out if the internet could put him to sleep or potentially ruin sleep forever.</p><p>The next day at work, bleary-eyed and a touch grouchy, Arthur was glaring everyone out of the breakroom until Ariadne plopped down and cupped her chin in her hands.</p><p>"So?" she asked, making the word last far longer than it needed to.</p><p>"So what?" he grumbled around his sandwich.</p><p>"So you've got that look on your face again. Who are you thinking about?"</p><p>She smirked mischievously, but Arthur scowled and wrapped up the rest of his food. "No one."</p><p>Ari laughed, seemingly undeterred. "Well, you're going to be pleased with me then. Ask me what I did at work today."</p><p>She was practically buzzing but apparently wasn't going to talk until he complied.</p><p>"Fine. What did you do at work today?" Arthur parroted, standing to discard his trash.</p><p>She grinned and grabbed his arm. "I set up another meeting for you at the dog park."</p><p>He spun and stared at her. "You...you did what?!"</p><p>She looked surprised, like this was the first she realized Arthur might be in a bad mood. "You didn't get to go," she said, blinking, "and you seemed kind of upset about it, so I thought—"</p><p>"Ari!" Arthur barked. "We talked about this. I don't actually own a dog."</p><p>"Well, I know, but—"</p><p>"You can't just expect people to have access to things just because you have access to them. You can't just screw with people's lives and their <em>work calendars</em>. Now I have to tell Miles I can't go, <em>again</em>, and expect him not to think less of me. Again. So, thanks. Thanks a whole lot."</p><p>Ari stood, her small frame held straight and firm. "I was doing you a favor. I was trying to be a good friend."</p><p>"Yeah, well, you're not my friend, Ariadne. We are just two people who happen to work in the same building."</p><p>Ari flinched as if she'd been struck and she drew herself up even tighter. "Fine. Then you're lucky I also happen to be a good person who works in the same building, because a not-good person might decide not to tell you that the meeting isn't with Miles. It's with Saito."</p><p>Ari pushed her chair back in, a touch too hard.</p><p>"Saito?" Arthur said weakly.</p><p>"Have fun canceling that one," Ari said as she left without looking back.</p><p>And Arthur, left in his carefully created solitude, put his hands on his hips and swore.</p>
<hr/><p>The knock on his apartment door was unexpected, but as it hadn't been preceded by him buzzing anyone into the building, he had a pretty strong suspicion who he'd see on the other side.</p><p>"Hello, darling," Eames said, smiling. "Would you care to take a walk with us?"</p><p>Boomer smiled at him from the end of a leash, and Arthur hated saying no to that face.</p><p>"Just a short one," Eames said at his hesitation. "You won't even need your jacket."</p><p>Arthur checked his watch. "Fine, but when he poops in 15 minutes, you're cleaning it up."</p><p>Eames raised an eyebrow but agreed, so Arthur grabbed his keys and joined them. Boomer was a slow walker, stopping to sniff almost everything in his path, his nails clicking quietly on the sidewalk.</p><p>"So," Eames said as they watched Boomer sniff and circle almost exactly 15 minutes later, "how did you know when he was going to. You know." He gestured.</p><p>Arthur snorted. "He's on a pretty set schedule. He's so regular you could make a spreadsheet."</p><p>Eames looked at him curiously. "<em>Did</em> you make a spreadsheet?"</p><p>Arthur frowned. "I regularly use spreadsheets to organize new information. Why? What do you use them for?"</p><p>Eames grinned like he'd told a joke. "No, that makes perfect sense." He picked up the mess as promised and looked at Arthur. "So what do you do for a living anyway?"</p><p>Arthur shrugged. "Well, I just started at Proculus after I moved. So I'm an entry-level accountant at the moment, but I wouldn't call it a career or anything."</p><p>Eames nodded. "Sounds like a lot of numbers."</p><p>"Yeah, I guess so. But it's a fairly slow job, which leaves me a lot of time to do what I want. What about you? I'm guessing not numbers?"</p><p>"Nah," Eames said. "Maths was never my strong suit. I'm an artist."</p><p>It was Arthur's turn to look at him curiously. "Really? An artist?"</p><p>"Why do you sound so surprised?" Eames asked, but he was chuckling.</p><p>Arthur shrugged. "I'm not, I guess. I just didn't realize that was an actual job."</p><p>"Ah, yes. Well, I can't say it pays very well, but enough for fish and chips for me and kibble for the old man."</p><p>Arthur frowned. "Yeah, I was going to talk to you about that."</p><p>They spent the rest of the walk discussing the benefits of cold-pressed dog food. Or rather Arthur talked and Eames listened with a small smile and nodded in the right places.</p><p>"You're very passionate about this," Eames said when he stopped to take a breath.</p><p>For some reason, it made Arthur's face heat. "No, I'm not," he protested. "I've just been researching a lot about it and—"</p><p>"Yes, but why have you been researching a lot about it?" Eames asked. There wasn't any judgment in his voice, but the implied 'you don't even have a dog' was loud and clear.</p><p>Arthur stiffened. "It's sound science. That's all I wanted to point out."</p><p>Eames bent to scratch Boomer's neck with an absentminded fondness. "I apologize," he said. "Thank you for looking out for him. If only we all had someone to do research on our behalf."</p><p>"You're welcome," Arthur said stiffly.</p><p>Eames nodded like he was making a decision. "Right, well I do have to confess, I asked you to come on a walk with us because I had an ulterior motive."</p><p>"And what's that?"</p><p>"Well, it's like this, see. Boomer has a very set routine, like you said. And once he's got something in his head, there's not really any changing his mind. And he's apparently got his mind set on you."</p><p>Eames stopped talking like what he'd said made any kind of sense. "And what, specifically, does that mean?" Arthur frowned.</p><p>"Specifically? Well, specifically it means that we'd like to invite you on a play date. We could get together, maybe once a week and," he waggled his head back and forth, "maybe go for a walk, possibly play some light fetch...What do you think?"</p><p>Arthur didn't have to think about it very hard because it sounded like Eames had just asked him on a date. A date-date. An actual, long-standing date where he was fairly certain the two of them would be together with only a dog as a chaperone, once a week.</p><p>"Um," Arthur said, shifting his weight and trying not to sound too eager. "What, uh, what day was he thinking?"</p><p>Eames sucked in air through his teeth. "Ooh, that's a tricky one, that. I'll have to check his calendar, see, he gets mad busy 'round the holidays—"</p><p>"How about Thursdays, asshole?" Arthur suggested, but he was smiling.</p><p>Eames smiled back. "Thursdays are brilliant."</p><p>Arthur felt warmth burble from his stomach to color his face. He was a grown adult blushing idiotically because he'd just been asked out. But he could forgive himself because he'd just been asked out by Eames, and if that didn't affect your circulatory system, nothing would.</p><p>"I'll put it on my calendar," Arthur heard himself saying, except that as soon as he did, he remembered what else had been added to his calendar.</p><p>"Arthur? Something wrong? Are you already having second thoughts?" Eames, if he wasn't mistaken, looked a little apprehensive.</p><p>"No, no," Arthur reassured him. "I just remembered, um. Something. Do you think...I could borrow Boomer just one more time?"</p><p>Eames raised an eyebrow, but there was a curl to his lips. "So it <em>is</em> bring your dog to work day."</p><p>Arthur shrugged, a bit shamefaced. "Something like that."</p><p>"Are you ever going to tell them the truth?"</p><p>Arthur shrugged again.</p><p>Eames considered him and then said, "Alright, you're welcome to borrow Boomer again anytime you need. On <em>one</em> condition though."</p><p>"Of course," Arthur said. "Name it."</p>
<hr/><p>"I cannot believe you wore sweatpants," Arthur hissed. "To a <em>business </em>meeting." He watched uneasily as Eames unclipped the leash from Boomer's collar.</p><p>"To the dog park, darling," Eames laughed. "I guarantee you'll be the only one here in a suit, and then won't you feel silly."</p><p>"I'll tell you what will make me feel 'silly'," Arthur scowled. "Trying to explain who you are and why you're here."</p><p>Eames didn't look concerned at all. "You could always try the truth."</p><p>"What, that you conned me?"</p><p>"Oi! That was nothing like a con. Boomer and I are a matched set. We go everywhere together."</p><p>Arthur rolled his eyes.</p><p>"So, I noticed your name was still on the meeting invite," Ari said from behind him, and Arthur turned to see her carrying Cat and only glaring at him a little. "Glad to see you could make it."</p><p>"Ariadne," Arthur started, but she walked a few feet away to put Cat down and take off the leash.</p><p>Eames widened his eyes at Arthur and Arthur tried to explain with his face that it was really sort of deserved.</p><p>"Good morning," came a deep voice. "Which one of you is Arthur?"</p><p>Arthur turned to see Saito, wearing a pair of expensive-looking suit pants and a dress shirt rolled to the elbow, and swallowed his tongue a bit. He looked at Arthur with the same cool stare as every profile picture from newsletter headers and the backs of Proculus pamphlets.</p><p>"He's Arthur," Eames said easily when the silence got too long, holding out his hand. "I'm Eames."</p><p>Saito shifted a small, squished-faced dog with a fluffy tail to his other arm and shook Eames' hand.</p><p>"Pleased to meet you," he said in his smooth tone, probably used for both boardrooms and bedrooms. "I apologize, I don't recall hearing your name before. Do you work for Proculus?"</p><p>"No, I'm an artist," Eames said, all charming smiles.</p><p>"Boomer is his dog," Arthur blurted out.</p><p>Everyone turned to stare at him. Saito because it was the first thing his ridiculous mouth had finally managed to say, and everyone else because it was actually the truth. Eames raised a fond eyebrow and Ari just looked surprised.</p><p>"Boomer, is it?" Saito said, addressing the dog panting happily at their feet. "Nice to meet you, Boomer-san." He crouched from his considerable height to pet him gently. "This is Ori," he said, letting the dogs sniff each other.</p><p>When he rose, Arthur smiled. "Ori, huh? Which came first, the assistant or the dog?"</p><p>Saito chuckled easily, like he was used to laughing at other people's bad jokes. "Ah, Ari is inimitable, of course, as I'm sure you're aware. Ori is short for 'Orient,' but only my mother calls her that."</p><p>Arthur looked at Ari who mouthed "<em>Oriental rug!"</em> at him, and just like that, he was forgiven. He grinned back.</p><p>"Shall we?" Saito said, setting his dog down. Arthur didn't say a word about the lack of leash, but Eames caught his eye and looked at him significantly.</p><p>Arthur shook his head as they set off, four humans and three dogs trotting at their feet. Saito didn't bring up any topics, so Arthur just followed his leggy stroll, and slowly maneuvered his way over to Ariadne. With a glance at Eames, he jerked his head toward Saito pleadingly and Eames gave him a faint nod.</p><p>"So, Mr. Saito..." he could hear Eames begin.</p><p>"Ari," Arthur hissed. When she came closer he murmured, "I wanted to apologize."</p><p>"Okay," she said happily. "Go ahead."</p><p>"I…" Arthur frowned. "I apologize."</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, apology accepted because omg, tell me about Eames!" she whispered, waggling her eyebrows at him.</p><p>Arthur rolled his eyes but his lips tugged up and she wrapped her arm through his.</p><p>"Thank you for the meeting. It really was nice of you," he said.</p><p>Ari nodded. "I know. Face it, Arthur. I'm your friend whether you want me or not because I'm too awesome to pass up."</p><p>Arthur bowed his head in acknowledgment. "It's true."</p><p>With a parting squeeze to her arm, he made his way back to Eames and Saito.</p><p>"...and that's how we broke up a global monopoly," he heard Saito say. "Arthur, are you telling me Eames knows nothing about the place you work? Goodness, my wife and I talk about nothing else."</p><p>He laughed and everyone else laughed along with him, and Ari mouthed "<em>mistress!"</em> behind his back, complete with inappropriate finger gestures.</p><p>Eames coughed what Arthur was fairly sure was a laugh into his hand and then said, "Well, Arthur works so hard, when he comes home, I just want to do things that take his mind off the office."</p><p>He winked at Arthur, who snapped his jaw closed and pushed all the mental images away as hard as he could. He cleared his throat, and it was Ari's turn to cough a laugh into her hand.</p><p>"So!" Arthur said brightly. "How about that new employee on-boarding process, huh? Proculus must really invest a significant amount in finding the right person for the job."</p><p>Saito nodded and launched into what Arthur was almost sure was a rehearsed speech about "employees being a top priority" and "external customer service is a reflection of internal customer service," and Arthur glared at Eames.</p><p>"<em>What are you doing!?"</em> he mouthed.</p><p>Eames just grinned that charming grin and shrugged innocently.</p><p>"You're blushing," Ari muttered as she brushed past him to pull Cat away from something that might have been a dead bird.</p><p>Boomer and Ori were both out of sight, but since Eames didn't seem concerned, Arthur tried to focus on what Saito was saying. He hadn't stayed up half the night with quarterly reports for nothing.</p><p>"Well!" Saito announced as soon as they'd circled the park once. "That was very refreshing." Cat was still the only dog in sight. "We should do this again, but Arthur? Next time, no shop talk. I appreciate a good weekend too. I'm only human, or so they tell me." He smiled and with a sharp whistle, strolled toward the gate of the park.</p><p>Ori, long hair streaming in the sun, flashed over the short grass and met Saito just as he opened the gate, pawing gently at his pantleg to be picked up. They watched Saito comply before getting in his insanely expensive car, parked in the very first spot. Arthur wasn't even sure that spot had been available when they'd parked.</p><p>They stared after him until Ari said, "Who wants a drink?" and Eames and Arthur both said, "Yep," in unison.</p><p>They found a pub that was open on a Saturday morning, catering to the third-shift factory workers no doubt, and it was dark and cool inside. Pitchers were on sale, so Arthur bought the first round and brought everything to the outside seating Eames and Ari had taken over. Both Boomer and Cat were curled in the shade beneath the table and Eames and Ari had donned sunglasses from out of nowhere and were relaxing back in their chairs.</p><p>"Arthur!" Eames greeted, arms flung wide. "What's all this brew-ha-ha?"</p><p>Arthur glared and handed him a plastic cup.</p><p>Ari watched them like she was at a tennis match. "Awww, aren't you two adorable. So!" she chirped. "How did you two meet?"</p><p>Arthur glared at her and handed her a plastic cup. "I'm going to need a few more drinks for this conversation."</p><p>Two pitchers later and Eames was giggling so hard at something Ari had said he'd leaned on Arthur to hold himself up.</p><p><em>Are we friends? </em>Arthur wondered. <em>Or are we flirting?</em></p><p>He leaned into Eames right back.</p><p>Eventually they ordered and ate food, said goodbye to Ari, and drove back to the apartment complex, and even then, Arthur still wasn't sure. But when Eames walked him to his door and hemmed him in, he started to get a pretty good idea.</p><p>He could feel Eames' breath on his face and his sense flew out the window.</p><p>"Are you always such a lightweight?" Arthur asked, wishing as soon as he'd said it he'd just kept his mouth shut.</p><p>"Are you always this funny?" Eames said, eyes on Arthur's mouth.</p><p>Arthur snorted. "Now I know you're drunk. I am <em>not</em> funny."</p><p>Eames grinned widely. "'M not drunk, and you absolutely are, darling."</p><p>Eames' eyes laughed when he grinned. "I'm what? Drunk or funny?"</p><p>Arthur must have been watching Eames' mouth because it tipped into a wider smile, teeth heartstoppingly crooked, and he got even closer.</p><p>"I want to kiss you," Eames said, his voice low and slow, and Arthur's heart actually stopped. "But I'm half-afraid you'll call in a complaint about me. Harassing you in the hallway."</p><p>"What, for this?" Arthur asked, a little breathless. "You call this harassment? You're going to have to harass me a lot better than this if you want me to—"</p><p>"<em>Woof."</em></p><p>They both looked down at Boomer, balancing on his back leg to paw at Eames, trying desperately to get his attention.</p><p>"What's the matter with you?" Eames asked.</p><p>But they'd pulled apart enough that Boomer forced his body in between them, tail wagging bullet-fast as he smiled up at them both.</p><p>"Oh, I see," Eames said, crouching down to rub his ears. "I'm hogging all the Arthur-attention, is that it?"</p><p>Boomer licked his wrist in agreement.</p><p>Arthur crouched also and petted Boomer's soft head. "Honestly, Eames. You're so selfish."</p><p>He smiled at Eames over the dog in between them and Eames made a face at Boomer.</p><p>"Well, my chaperone says I should have fed him <em>before </em>the dog park, if there were going to be drinks and brunch involved."</p><p>Arthur looked at him in alarm and checked his watch. "You haven't fed him yet? His whole schedule is going to be off by two, maybe three hours."</p><p>Eames looked like he was trying not to laugh. "See? Funny."</p><p>Arthur scowled at him and then Eames did laugh.</p><p>"I'll see you on Thursday, darling."</p><p>He stood and turned for his apartment, Boomer happily trotting ahead of him, and Arthur rose too.</p><p>"It's a date," he murmured to his retreating back.</p>
<hr/><p>Thursday felt a thousand years away that night, but there was a new invoicing system being implemented at Proculus that week and he spent the majority of his time being annoyed and scowling at people who were incompetent.</p><p>So Thursday night when Eames and Boomer knocked on his door, Arthur had just stepped out of the shower and still had no idea what to wear.</p><p>"Coming!" Arthur hollered at the door. "One second."</p><p>Eames took one glance at his dripping hair and towel around his waist and looked delighted. "I've definitely seen this movie, pet."</p><p>Arthur had to chuckle even as he let them in and headed for his bedroom. "Was it an actual movie, or…"</p><p>"Oh, no, it was absolutely porn," Eames said conversationally. "Can I just sit anywhere?" he asked Arthur through his closed door.</p><p>"Yeah, anywhere is fine." Arthur decided to channel his inner Saito and grabbed suit pants and a white button down. If it was good enough for Saito, it was good enough for him.</p><p>When his hair was gelled and his sleeves rolled perfectly, he stepped out to find Eames perched on his uncomfortable couch holding Boomer like a baby. He gave them an odd look.</p><p>"Wasn't sure about dogs on the furniture rules," he said with a slightly sheepish look.</p><p>Arthur snorted. "That ship has sailed, believe me. Not sure there's much more he could do to that sofa at this point."</p><p>Eames laughed. "You've obviously never had a puppy then."</p><p>Arthur chuckled like he was supposed to. "So. Where are we headed on our walk?"</p><p>"Well," Eames said, "we can go wherever you'd like. But keep in mind that Boomer can't go too far these days. He gets pretty worn out after a few blocks actually. And to be fair," he smiled mischievously, "I really only suggested it so I could see you again."</p><p>Arthur felt a warm glow that started at his navel and spread everywhere. "You did?"</p><p>"Course I did, darling," Eames said, looking proud of himself.</p><p>"Oh." Arthur rubbed his ear. "I suppose we should go for a short walk. Since Boomer got all dressed up for the occasion."</p><p>Eames set Boomer down and he shook, his collar and tags jangling nicely.</p><p>"Says the man wearing trousers tailored within an inch of their lives," Eames teased.</p><p>Arthur refused to preen. His tailoring was excellent, and Eames was right to notice.</p><p>Eames led the way to the sidewalk and Boomer seemed happy to slowly sniff almost every clump of grass and signpost on their leisurely walk.</p><p>"Is this it?" Arthur asked as Boomer balanced precariously on his leg to mark yet another tree. "Are all dogs like this on walks?"</p><p>Eames shrugged. "Depends on the dog. Dog breeds are usually specific to a job, so some are runners by nature. Others are ruled by their nose, like our friend Boomer here."</p><p>Boomer looked up at his name, and then proceeded to ignore them both in favor of a mailbox post.</p><p>"So," Eames said carefully, "how has your week been?"</p><p>"Uh, good. Busy," Arthur said. "Actually, you know what? It was a shit week. My office is full of incompetent assholes, and I would fire them all if it were up to me."</p><p>Eames raised his eyebrows. "My my. So do you dislike the actual job, or just the people?"</p><p>Arthur sighed. "The job's fine. And I don't like most people, so there's probably nothing they can do. Just...long week, I guess." He didn't add that he'd been looking forward to today the whole time, which made it feel even longer.</p><p>"What did you do before this?" Eames asked, changing the subject. "Before you moved here, I mean."</p><p>Arthur got quiet and watched Boomer hop over to another tree. "I worked with Mal, my friend, and her husband, actually."</p><p>Eames nodded. "I see. Makes sense why you had to get away. I suppose everything would have been a reminder."</p><p>Arthur scoffed. "You're not kidding. I was staying in their guest house too. She was everywhere."</p><p>Eames tugged the dog away from a questionable pile of garbage and back on the sidewalk, Boomer's tongue starting to roll out of his mouth.</p><p>"And what about your family?" Eames asked. "Your parents? Relatives?"</p><p>"Nope," Arthur said. "Just me."</p><p>Eames leaned his head back to the sky. "Oh, what must that be like?"</p><p>Arthur chuckled but it was half-hearted. "It's quiet. A lot. And I always told myself I liked it that way. Then Mal basically adopted me, and then she and Dom had kids, and I didn't have to worry about filling the quiet. It was," he gestured helplessly, "done for me."</p><p>Eames didn't say anything but Boomer looked like he was getting tired. "Shall we head back then?"</p><p>Arthur nodded and put his hands in his pockets so he didn't have to wonder what to do with them.</p><p>They just strolled lazily for a while, following Boomer's lead, when Eames said, "Have you ever thought about getting a dog?"</p><p>Arthur smiled at him. "Literally no. I can honestly say it has never crossed my mind."</p><p>"That's only because before now you didn't know how great dogs were," Eames said sensibly. "I got Boomer as a pup when I moved to the States. Fills the quiet, like you said, especially if you have to train them. But dogs are just so full of love, you know? Excited to see you, happy to spend time with you, don't ask for much in return."</p><p>"Yeah," Arthur mused. "Maybe."</p><p>They'd reached the apartment complex and Boomer laid down on the grass, panting. Eames considered Arthur. "Are you just saying that to placate me?"</p><p>Arthur shrugged helplessly. "I don't know," he admitted. "It's a big decision."</p><p>"It is," Eames agreed. He looked dead serious. "Deciding to add someone to your life is a big step. You can't half-arse something like that. You have to be all in, or they'll know."</p><p>Arthur swallowed. He knew what Eames was trying to say. And Arthur was an asshole for trying to 'half-arse' anything with Eames. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Let me think about it, okay?"</p><p>Eames nodded and he stooped to murmur something to Boomer as he petted him. Together they rose and Eames said, "You let me know, yeah?"</p><p>Arthur watched them walk away and swore softly under his breath.</p><p>By late that night, Arthur knew what his reply should be, and not only because he knew exactly what Mal would say. He'd closed himself off from people. He knew that; it was deliberate. But after Mal passed away and he'd reached for that old comfortable "I don't need anyone" stance, even moving away to where he didn't <em>have</em> anyone still wasn't as comfortable as it once was. He did need people. He needed someone to text when he felt lonely or had a bad day. He needed someone on his side when he was angry. He needed someone to cook for, to go to the movies with, to get drinks with after work.</p><p>And, he admitted, it'd be nice to get laid once in a while too.</p><p>The next morning after he got to work, he called Eames. He hoped he wasn't interrupting something, but then he also needed someone to interrupt him sometimes, so maybe it would be okay either way.</p><p>"Good morning, darling," Eames' smooth voice answered easily.</p><p>"Hey."</p><p>"Everything alright?"</p><p>Arthur looked at his desk, the very few personal items he kept there. "I was thinking about what you said last night. About adding people into my life. And I realized. You know. That you're right."</p><p>There was a pause and then, "Sorry, darling, you cut out there. What was that?"</p><p>"I said 'you're right'," Arthur repeated, feeling a little wrung out after being so keyed up. "I think I'm ready." He was ready. He was going to ask Eames to date him, exclusively, and it was stupid to be nervous about it.</p><p>Unless, of course, Eames said no. Unless they were just friends and not flirting. He had said he'd wanted to kiss Arthur, but what if he'd been thinking "casual" instead of "long-term?" Really, that was an average everyday conversation topic though so nothing to be nervous about at all.</p><p>"One more time?"</p><p>"I said, 'you're...'" Arthur narrowed his eyes. "I said 'you had a point.'"</p><p>"Aw, Arthur," Eames complained. "I'd gotten ready to record it and everything!"</p><p>"Very funny, Mr Eames," Arthur grumbled. "I've got about ten minutes before my boss comes to find out why I'm on a personal call on work time."</p><p>Eames laughed at his own antics. "Very well, darling. What time are you off?"</p><p>"Five."</p><p>"Very good. Got a pen?"</p><p>Arthur blinked. "Yes?"</p><p>"I"m giving you an address. Meet me directly after work, yeah?"</p><p>Arthur took it down dutifully. "Alright."</p><p>"Ta, see you then."</p><p>Eames hung up and Arthur took a steadying breath. He could ask Eames after work just as easily. It was probably better this way so that if it went badly, he could just head directly to the ice cream in his freezer instead of having to finish out the workday.</p><p>He didn't bother to look up the address beforehand. Why would he? Google Maps was made for a reason, and that reason was being able to type an address in and be directed how to get there with zero prior knowledge of the area or location. And that was why Arthur was surprised to see Eames, with Boomer at his side, smiling at him outside a small, squat, brick building that said "Humane Society" on the outside.</p><p>He exited his car. "Hi?"</p><p>Eames beamed at him and Boomer wagged his tail with a happy look on his grizzled face. "Hello."</p><p>Arthur steadied himself. "Okay, so, like I was saying this morning. I think I'm ready to add someone to my life."</p><p>Eames nodded like he'd won something, and Arthur let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "I know, darling. I heard you."</p><p>"So, um," Arthur said, a small smile on his face. "I think I'm going to need someone with a lot of patience." He stepped closer. "Someone who doesn't mind putting up with me. Kind, funny...handsome wouldn't hurt."</p><p>"Handsome, huh?"</p><p>Arthur shrugged. "Maybe a little bit. Know anybody like that?"</p><p>Eames grinned. "I think I could find you someone."</p><p>Arthur bit his lip. "Yeah?"</p><p>"Yeah," Eames agreed. "Follow me."</p><p>"F…?"</p><p>Eames turned and walked into the building, Boomer following behind him, and Arthur stood on the sidewalk blinking after them. Did Eames think he was...talking about a dog? Was he about to get a dog instead of a boyfriend? Fuck.</p><p>Arthur entered the building with a bravado he didn't really feel, and was immediately overwhelmed by smells and sounds of pets. Three cats walked across the counter where a smiling woman stood.</p><p>"Hello," she said, "can I help you?"</p><p>"Yes," Eames answered, all British charm and smiles. "I'd called earlier about meeting one of your pups?"</p><p>"Ah, yes," she said, retrieving a folder. "Right this way."</p><p>She led them past a room full of cat trees, draped with felines of various shapes and colors, and through a heavy door, through which Arthur could hear barks echoing off concrete.</p><p>"Did you want to look around, or was there one you had your eye on?"</p><p>Eames looked at Arthur, as if he would have some kind of opinion on this.</p><p>"We'll look around a bit, ta," Eames answered finally and the woman nodded.</p><p>"Just let me know if there's someone you'd like to see."</p><p>Eames led him forward with a hand on the small of his back, and Arthur watched Boomer's slow, steady hop with none of the anxiety Arthur felt.</p><p>Every dog they passed barked at them, until they were all yapping and vying for attention. There were a lot of big dogs, and Eames stopped in front of one Arthur recognized.</p><p>"German shepherd, right?" Arthur asked, raising his voice to be heard.</p><p>Eames peered at the placard on the front of the cage and the dog inside jumped up, barking like mad. "Says she's a mix, but yeah, that's what she looks like. Want to take her for a walk?"</p><p>Arthur must have looked as apprehensive as he felt because Eames didn't push, just continued on. There were a few small, yippy dogs, which Eames bypassed without a look or explanation, and lots of dogs with big, square heads. He stopped again in front of a small-ish dog with longer fur and a dirty-looking beard.</p><p>Eames read, "This young man says to be some kind of schnauzer. House broken, knows a few commands...His name is Max. What do you think?"</p><p>Arthur hesitated, wondering if he was being too judgemental of dogs in confined spaces. Max was barking, but not as much as the other dogs. Maybe he should give it a try.</p><p>"Sure, Eames," Arthur started, "but can I talk to you a second first? Is there somewhere quieter we can go?"</p><p>"Sure," Eames said, making eye contact with the woman who'd led them in. "We'd like to take Max here to a visitation room if that's alright."</p><p>"Absolutely!" the woman said. "Max is such a character. Loves attention, good with kids. Needs a bit of work on a leash, but he's a very fun guy."</p><p>She opened the cage and slipped a rope over Max's head in a way that made it look easy and led the way to a set of glass-walled rooms surrounding the kennel area.</p><p>Inside, she handed the lead to Eames and said, "I'll leave you to get acquainted."</p><p>Max and Boomer sniffed each other and Max started to bristle. A low, menacing growl slipped out and Boomer backed into Arthur's shins.</p><p>"Okay, easy now," Eames soothed, but Max wasn't interested. He lunged for Boomer, yanked short only by the rope in Eames' hands.</p><p>"Jesus, Eames, get him out of here."</p><p>Arthur picked up Boomer in his arms, moving to the far side of the room while Eames dragged Max outside and found the woman again to put him back.</p><p>Arthur buried his face in Boomer's neck. "I'm sorry, buddy, you shouldn't have to put up with this. I didn't mean to make you put up with all this. It's okay. Shh. It's okay."</p><p>Boomer's high whine stopped when Eames came back in the room, and Boomer clambered out of Arthur's hold.</p><p>"Okay, it's alright old man, no harm done." Eames knelt to soothe him with words and pets. "There now, that big mean old Max is gone." He looked at Arthur. "I assume that means Max is a no?"</p><p>Arthur scoffed. "Of <em>course</em> he's a no, why would I get a dog who doesn't get along with Boomer?"</p><p>Eames got quiet and just scratched Boomer's fur under his collar.</p><p>"Look, Eames," Arthur tried again. "Truthfully, I don't know if any of the dogs out there are going to be right for me."</p><p>Eames looked up at him, wary.</p><p>"When I said I was ready to add someone to my life, that might have been...inaccurate."</p><p>Eames' face fell for just a moment before he straightened, standing before Arthur with Boomer between them like a shield.</p><p>"Alright, Arthur, no problem," he said after a moment. "Like you said, it's a big decision, so—"</p><p>"I should have been more specific," Arthur interrupted him. "I should have said I was ready for more of those already in my life."</p><p>Eames froze, his eyes searching Arthur's face. "Does that mean me and Boomer, then?"</p><p>Arthur ducked his head and smiled. "Yes. You. And Boomer too, obviously, but I was hoping for more of you."</p><p>Eames smiled back, taking his time, stepping closer. "So, let me get this straight. You're not getting a dog, then?"</p><p>Arthur snorted. "I already have a dog. He's got three legs, and he's yours, and I love him."</p><p>"Oh, you love him, do you?" Eames raised an eyebrow, stepping into Arthur's space.</p><p>Arthur shrugged, his mouth dry. "I mean. Not on purpose."</p><p>Eames snuck a hand around Arthur's waist. "In love against your will?"</p><p>Arthur shifted, resting his hands on Eames' arms, watching his mouth. "Maybe. A bit."</p><p>"I think I might know what that feels like," Eames said, and then he kissed him.</p><p>Arthur couldn't breathe, couldn't think, he just hung on as fireworks exploded along every limb. A piece of him clicked into place, and Mal whispered in his heart, "And what are you going to do about it, mon cher?"</p><p>When Eames backed away to breathe, Arthur pulled him right back in, needing more of this man, who was as sweet and tantalizing as his kisses, who filled a hole in his heart and his life he thought was Mal, but had been Eames all along.</p><p>And splayed possessively over both of their pairs of feet, Boomer let loose a single, happy bark.</p>
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